Starting Over
by Poo2110
Summary: Bella's back in Forks after 7 years. Can she and Edward resolve their past differences? All human, normal pairings. CHAPTER 20 IS NOW UP!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

BPOV

"Bella, honey! Come downstairs!" My mom, Renee, shouted. OK, so I was officially ten years old, or as people (Mainly people on my street) said, double digits. But ten suited me just fine. I adjusted and examined my outfit for the last time before I went down. I was wearing a plain pink t-shirt and dark pink jeans. It looks good, I thought to myself. Anyway, it's not like I was celebrating my birthday with a whole lot of people. I didn't like to draw attention to myself. It was just who I was. Shy and quiet. Yup, that was me.

"I'm coming!" I hollered to her. I ran down the steps, stumbling on the second last one, falling into my mom's arms. I blushed. You'd think that by my age, I could walk and talk at the same time.

"Oh Bella." My mom sighed in exasperation. Suddenly she perked up. "Well, here is your present from me! Open it quickly!" My mom was so energetic about things. She saw everything in a different perspective. Basically, her view of the world was different and she could _see_ things, you know, she could pinpoint the truth. I eagerly opened it. My mom had always known exactly what I needed and wanted.

"Wow, mom! A photo album! Thanks so much!" I loved thoughtful presents. Not the material type.

"Happy birthday, kiddo!" My dad, Charlie, thrust a badly wrapped camera into my hands. I could tell that it was a camera even without opening it, because of the lack of expert wrapping. Anyway, I loved it. It was more than what I could ask for. A camera to record memories, and a book to keep them safe. Perfect. I smiled. My parents sure knew how to make me feel special on my birthday. My mom came up to me and strapped one of those weird baby-ish party hats on my head. I rolled my eyes. I may still be little in their eyes, but not _that _little.

"Thanks, dad!" The doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" I raced to the door and flung it open.

"Hi there, my name is Alice Cullen and I am selling cookies for Sparks. They're the mint-flavored kind and they're really good." I stood stunned, gaping at her. I hadn't even had the chance to say anything and she had just started talking. Really fast. She was a really small girl, three of four inches shorter than me. What did she say her name was? Oh, right. It was Alice … Cullen? She had shoulder length, wavy black hair and bangs. She was very pale. Hey big grey eyes blinked and she suddenly broke out into a huge smile. "Oh, is it your birthday? Happy birthday!" I had forgotten about the stupid hat still sitting on my head. I tore it off.

"Thank you," I said.

"So, what's your name? I've never met you before. Are you new here? Do you go to Forks Elementary School? I can't wait to introduce you to my…" She went on and on. I stared at her in disbelief.

"Umm, hello?" I replied. She stared at me. "I'm Isabella Swan. But call me Bella. And no, I've lived in Forks my whole life. You probably haven't seen me around much because my mom and dad have made my take home schooling all these years. So, I don't get out often. But," I smiled, "you're my first friend in Forks, not including all these _people_ who live on my street. I am so glad to meet you. Why don't you come inside? So you've lived here your whole life?" I asked her.

"Oh no, I have a whole route to cover" Alice showed me her chocolate boxes and she shook her head. "And no, we moved here last summer from Chicago. I have two brothers, Edward and Emmett." She stuck out her tongue at that. "And my best friend here is Rosalie Hale. She has a twin brother, Jasper. Hey! You should meet all of them sometime." I stood flustered as my mom joined me on the doorstep.

"Who is it, Bella? Oh hello. I'm so sorry, but we're not interested." She said to Alice. I saw disappointment flood Alice's face before she composed it to a smiling one.  
"It's ok, have a nice day! Bye Bella! Hope to see you again soon…" I glared at my mom.

"Mom!" I whined.

"Chocolates are bad for your health," my mom said disapprovingly. I groaned in exasperation. It was going to be a very long day.

And it was a long day. I got so bored with my home school. It felt like my tutor was just droning on and on about some dumb topic which nobody wanted to hear. As I lay in bed that night, trying to fall asleep, I replayed the day's activities in my mind. I met a real friend. My first friend in Forks. I smiled. Alice Cullen. And I soon fell asleep, content.

APOV

After I covered my whole route, I practically skipped home. Wow, that girl who I met today was so cool. I can't believe her parents didn't let her go to school. She would have had so much fun. I pranced up to the door, and let myself in.

"Win the lottery, Alice?" I stuck out my tongue at my older brother Emmett. He was sitting in front of the TV, watching some show which only a guy could understand. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Just kidding. Jeez, chill out." I rolled my eyes and looked over at my other brother. We were the same age, but people didn't think that we looked alike. He had green eyes and bronze hair.

"Edward!" I sang. He barely glanced up from his book. I frowned. I mean, come on! Cut Alice some slack!

"What, Alice?" He sounded annoyed.

"Guess what, guys? I met a girl named Bella today! She looks really cool. But she does home schooling. So, you might not see her around too much. Well, that's what she said anyway. She has brown hair…" I ranted on about my meeting with Bella, not noticing that neither of them were listening. After I finished, I looked at them both, pleased with my description. They both were just doing their own thing. I screamed a high pitched scream. My mom, Esme, came racing down the steps.

"What's wrong Alice?" She asked me, her eyes full of concern.

"Mom," I whined. "Edward and Emmett aren't listening to me." I peered up at her with puppy dog eyes.

"Edward. Emmett. Just because Alice is a girl, that doesn't mean she is less fun. I don't want to hear the excuse that ten year old girls are boring and whiny-"

"But, mom, they are!" Edward said earnestly.

"I totally agree with Edward, mom!" Emmett chimed.

"Enough!" mom said sternly. I made a face at both of them and knew that I had won the argument. For now, at least.

That night, I lay awake in bed. Why hadn't Bella's parents chosen to put her in a school? Where she could make friends, and have fun? Anyway, I hope I meet her again soon. And I fell asleep soon, thinking of lucky I was.

_A few days later…_

BPOV

Mom came down the stairs, looking ready to go somewhere.

"Are you going somewhere, mom?" I asked her, not taking my eyes off the TV. When she didn't reply, I turned my head unwillingly and saw her staring at me. "What?" I was irritated at my mom for disturbing me. I mean, come on, can't I watch TV in peace? I felt her eyes on me and turned to look at her again. "_What_?"

"Oh Bella, please don't tell me you forgot that we're going out to buy groceries today. Go get ready quickly, you can't come out in _this._" She gestured towards my loose shorts and an old soccer t-shirt which I was wearing. I groaned.

"I don't want to come grocery shopping, mom!" I complained. She narrowed her eyes.

"Is this what you want? You want to be a reclusive girl whose face nobody ever sees? Do you seriously want people to think that I have no daughter at all?" Ugh. She used _the_ excuse. The one which always makes me feel guilty and ends up making me agree.

"Fine. But you can't take more than an hour, ok?" I threw my hands up in defeat and went upstairs to get ready for the long shopping trip.

After what seemed a very long time, we finally finished paying for all the items and were taking it out to the car. We were just loading the last plastic bag into the trunk when I heard a familiar, high pitched shriek.

"BELLA!" I didn't have to turn around to know who it was. Immediately, my mood brightened. Alice's hyper-ness was very catchy.

"ALICE!" I squealed with just as much enthusiasm. I saw her bouncing towards me and my mom. A lady with waist-length caramel colored hair followed her and I guessed that it was Alice's mother.

"Hello," her mom started politely, "I'm Esme Cullen. I see you've already met my daughter, Alice. She told me about you, Bella. She seems very happy to see you again."

"Thanks a lot, Mrs. Cullen," I said shyly. "Oh, this is my mom."

"Nice to meet you." My mom extended her hand. "I'm Renee, by the way. So have you been in Forks for a long time? I thought I knew almost everyone here. That's not very difficult anyway, seeing as the population is so small!"

"No, we moved here last summer from Chicago. My husband, Carlisle, works in the hospital here. He got transferred here last year. I have two sons, too. Emmett is the older one. He's already adjusted here. But Edward seems to be having a tough time. He wasn't very supportive of the move. He misses Chicago." Mrs. Cullen explained.

I smiled tentatively at Alice. She gave me a huge smile in return. "Um, Alice? Are you free today? Can we hang out for a while?" I asked her hesitantly and then looked pleadingly at my mom.

"It's fine with me," my mom agreed.

"Well, ok." Said Mrs. Cullen. "Would you like a ride with us, Bella?" I looked at my mom. She smiled at me.

"Sure," she said. "Call me when you're ready to be picked up." I grinned. Alice was already starting to rub off on me. We both were singing along with the radio in the car ride to Alice's house. Her house was hidden in the woods. We had to drive down a winding road to reach it. Finally the road came to a clearing and we reached their house. I gasped. It was beautiful! It was a white, three-storey mansion.

"Wow!" I exclaimed. "You're house is awesome!"

"Thanks, Bella!" Alice smiled. "Now, let's go have some fun!" We climbed up the steps onto the porch. Mrs. Cullen had forgotten her keys, so we rang the doorbell and waited for someone to come and open the door for us. We heard footsteps approaching and the lock turning. The door handle turned and the door flung open. A boy, who looked about five inches taller then me stood in the doorway. He had dark, curly hair and blue eyes. His mouth widened into a huge smile, revealing dimples.

"Finally, you guys are home! I've been waiting forever for you to bring those snacks…" His gaze turned to me. "Oh, hi. Who are you supposed to be?" I stared, bewildered. Ok, that was kind of rude? I looked at Alice for help. She was glaring at the boy.

"Sorry about that, Bella. This is my older brother, Emmett. He's sort of rude." She apologized. Definitely, I agreed in my mind. "Emmett, this is Bella. I met her a few days ago on my cookie route. She's going to be over for a while, so don't do anything funny." She looked at him menacingly. He just rolled his eyes.

"Whatever you say, sis." Alice narrowed her eyes at him.

"Hey Emmett, have they _finally _come home? I'm starving, mom! Did you buy the whole store or something? Oh, I guess it doesn't matter that your two _precious_ sons are dying at home, does it? This is all Alice's fault. I'm sure she's the one who-" Another boy walked outside and stopped abruptly when he saw me. "Who are you?" He asked, quite rudely in my opinion.

"Uhh-" I stammered, unable to tear my gaze from the cute boy who stood in front of me. Speak Bella, speak! Oh my god, I'm making a fool of myself. He had short, bronze colored hair and was a little shorter than Emmett. But the most attractive part of him were his emerald green eyes. My legs suddenly felt like jelly. I saw Alice's eyes flicker to me and she grinned cunningly. I blushed when I saw her looking at me.

"Hello, _Edward_," she said, not taking her eyes off me. My blush deepened. I noticed that she emphasized his name. I glared at her. "This is my friend, Bella"

"Hello," he said stiffly. "Mom, can I have the food now?" He grabbed the bags and turned around, marching into the kitchen, not looking back even once. Emmett followed suit. Mrs. Cullen looked apologetically at me, and went inside after them. Alice's eyes twinkled. She couldn't contain her excitement. She grabbed my hand and dragged me upstairs to what I thought was her room and closed the door.

She pushed me onto the bed and impatiently demanded, "OK, spill!"

APOV

When we got home, mom realized that she forgot her house keys. Great, I thought. I sighed. We rang the doorbell and waited. Where were those ding-dongs? Finally, Emmett opened the door. He didn't even notice me or Bella or even mom! He had eyes only for the bags of junk.

"Finally, you guys are home! I've been waiting forever for you to bring those snacks…" He looked over at Bella. "Oh, hi. Who are you supposed to be?" Ugh. Does Emmett always have to be… Emmett? Can't he be good sometimes, at least? I gave him a deadly glare.

"Sorry about that, Bella. This is my older brother, Emmett. He's sort of rude." I explained to her. I made the last comment on purpose, even though I knew mom wouldn't like it. Well, Bella has the right to know the truth, right? "Emmett, this is Bella. I met her a few days ago on my cookie route. She's going to be over for a while, so don't do anything funny." I glared at him again and to my annoyance, he just rolled his eyes.

"Whatever you say, sis." He couldn't control his joking side. Well, it wasn't really funny now. At least not to me. And I didn't think Bella was laughing either. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Hey Emmett, have they _finally _come home? I'm starving, mom! Did you buy the whole store or something? Oh, I guess it doesn't matter that your two _precious_ sons are dying at home, does it? This is all Alice's fault. I'm sure she's the one who-" I heard Edward coming outside and I could hear from his voice that he was fuming. Wow, this was fun. I loved making my brothers mad. He stopped talking and looked at Bella. Well, it wasn't really a friendly look, but I let it pass. He didn't like _any_ girl. You'd think he'd like his own sister. "Who are you?" He demanded Bella. She just stared at him, bewildered at first. Then I noticed a change in her expression.

"Uhh-" She stuttered, not saying anything. She had a dreamy look in her eyes. I quickly glanced around, making sure that no one was watching this little "drama". Mom was too busy checking her purse for something, and Emmett had become his usual. He was eying the grocery bags with desperation and hunger. Bella was still staring at Edward, who was being the pig that he was and not even looking at her. He was tapping his feet impatiently, waiting to go back inside. Bella looked away and her eyes turned to me. I caught her gaze and grinned. She blushed a deep pink when she saw that I had caught her.

"Hello, _Edward_," I didn't stop looking at Bella when I said this. Her blush deepened. I continued, "This is my friend, Bella"

"Hello," he said, more stiffly than usual. Hmm, I thought, plotting. This has possibilities. "Mom, can I have the food now?" He grabbed the bags from mom and stormed inside. Emmett went after him, eagerly, waiting to eat. I almost laughed. I wonder how hard he had been controlling himself all this time. Mom looked at Bella and then followed my brothers inside. FINALLY, I thought. I smiled knowingly at Bella, and could feel my energy bubbling up. I snatched her hand and pulled her up, before I exploded. I kicked open my bedroom door and shoved her onto my bed. I slammed the door and plopped down next to her. "OK, spill!" I ordered.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, I don't own any of the Twilight characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

BPOV

"Spill what? I'm not holding anything, Alice." I innocently looked at her, but inside I was freaked out. Did she catch me? She would kill me if she found out that I had a crush on her brother. Well, not kill me, but she would torture me until she had gotten every single detail from me. Wait, did I even _like_ him? He was so rude and impolite. But his eyes… NO, I thought to myself. I frantically looked everywhere except Alice. Her room was pretty cool. It was cooler than mine, at least. She had pink walls and dark pink curtains. There was a white desk in the corner next to a white dresser. There was a small TV in front of the bed on a bedside table. On the dresser next to her bed, she had kept a family picture, framed with a silver frame. They looked like one, big happy family. Edward actually looked happy in it. I had thought that the frown which I saw was a permanent expression, from my first impression. Wait a minute, didn't Mrs. Cullen say something about Edward not being able to adjust or something? Whatever. He had a serious attitude problem. Alice put her two hands on both sides of my face and forced me to look at her. "_What_?" She was starting to bug me now. She just looked annoyed.

"Come on, Bella. Do you seriously think I didn't notice what happened downstairs with Edward? Maybe Emmett and mom didn't, but it cannot escape the great Alice," she announced.

"Why, what happened with Edward? Did I miss something?" I wasn't about to give up _that _easily. I wasn't really comfortable telling people things like this. My dad was like that too. I was just like him. "Alice, I don't know what you _saw_, but your brother is the rudest person I've ever met." That was true. Ya, I could stick to that story, I guess. But I was still nervous. I mean, it was so embarrassing!

"Bella, you know that you can tell me, right? I won't tell him. I don't even tell him _my_ secrets. He's too pigheaded. Edward thinks that all girls are dumb, and yes, he puts his own sister in that category." She sniffed. "And I saw the way you looked at him downstairs. You were literally staring at him. You were lucky that Emmett and mom weren't paying attention or else they would have said something. _Especially_ Emmett. And for your information, Edward didn't even notice that you were looking at him. I swear, the only thing he was paying attention to was the grocery bag." She giggled. "I'll never understand what's so interesting about food. But anyway, it's so cool! My new best friend likes my brother! Totally –" Ok, I thought it was a good time for her to shut up now.

"Alice, it's just a crush. And anyway, you said it yourself. He didn't even notice me. And when did I become your best friend?" I asked her. Come on, please be distracted. But I hoped inside that she considered me her best friend. I did. What if she didn't accept people so quickly? What if she had to spend a lot more time with me before she decided that I was one of her best friends? Right then, I felt that I could tell her even my deepest secret, and she wouldn't laugh. I wondered if she felt the same way. I didn't feel like talking about her moronic brother. Thank god it worked and she was distracted for a minute. She smiled at me so widely, I was amazed her face didn't hurt. I blabbered on, "I mean, I already consider you my best friend, but I wasn't sure if you call people your best friends so quickly? I mean, do you –" Alice pulled me into a tight hug, squealing.

"Come on, Bella, to me, you are one of my best friends already. I wish you could meet Rose. She's really fun too. But wait –" she looked confused. "You're trying to distract me, aren't you? I will not stop until I get the truth out of you, Bella." I frowned.

"Fine. I like him, ok? Just don't spread the 'breaking news', please? I don't think it's even possible for him to hate me more than he does now. And plus, I think I will get over him soon. It's not like…ugh, _love_…or anything." I made a disgusted face and scrunched up my nose. I looked her in the eye. I think she was convinced. She laughed.

"OK," she said, finally, accepting defeat. We talked for a long time after that, about different things. She showed me some pictures of her family and some of Rosalie and her twin brother, Jasper. They looked similar in some ways, but totally different. Time just seemed to pass by so quickly when I was with her. I liked it. Before, I had never had someone who I could talk to so openly. Sure, my mom was there, but I couldn't tell her _everything_.

"Ok, well do you want to go down and get something to eat? I'm starving, and we have a whole stock of junk food. We _did_ just go to the store today, and if we wait too long, Emmett and Edward might eat all of it!" She jumped up off her bed and skipped out the door. Wow, she's like, high on sugar all the time, I thought, as I followed her down the stairs and into the kitchen. "So, what do you like?" she asked. Mrs. Cullen was marinating chicken for dinner.

"Um, Oreo cookies." I said. Alice opened the cupboard and took out the box. Emmett came into the kitchen.

"Hey! Why are you and your little friend eating Oreos? They're mine and Edward's!" Emmett growled at Alice. I raised my eyebrows. Hello? Hasn't he heard of something called sharing?

"Um, Emmett?" I said quietly. Oh my god, I hope he didn't hear me. He turned to look at me, surprised that I talked to him. "Have you ever heard of sharing?" Alice burst our laughing. I heard footsteps coming towards the kitchen and a minute later, Edward ran in.

"What's wrong, Emmett? And where are the Oreos?" He asked Emmett. Emmett didn't say anything, but just pointed at Alice and then at me. Edward did even look over at Alice and just frowned at me. "Did you say something to Emmett? He usually _talks_." I felt like laughing, but I thought it was better not to. Why was he talking only to me? I felt angry.

"I asked him if he had ever heard of sharing. Why? You haven't either?" I looked at him innocently. I saw Mrs. Cullen out of the corner of my eye, who was trying not to laugh, but she couldn't control her smile. Edward glared at me so intensely, that I thought he might burn a hole in my head. He balled his hands into fists. Again, I controlled my laughter and continued, "We can take half of the box each. Alice and I get half and you and Emmett take half. There _are_ other snacks, you know." Emmett rolled his eyes. Alice looked like it was her birthday. Edward's face turned red.

"Listen carefully." He said angrily. Each word sounded like a separate sentence. I glared back at him. Just because he lives here too, he can't boss me around. He definitely can't boss Alice around. She _lives_ here! "The Oreos are mine. And Emmett's" he added, looking over at Emmett quickly. "You can't take them. Like you said, there are other snacks." I crossed my arms. Who did he think he was? Hitler?

"Well, I like Oreos, too. And Alice and Mrs. Cullen bought them for _everyone_, not just for you two. _So_, Alice and I get half the box." I threatened. There. I think I made my point.

"Well, if you like Oreos so much, go eat them in your house. These are _ours_. And you. Can't. Eat. Them." I snorted. Like I was going to let him tell me that. Forget it.

"Edward," Alice said dramatically. "Bella can eat whatever she wants. She can even take your precious Cheetos, if she wants. She is my best friend. Mom, a little help?" She batted her eyelashes. Edward's eyes widened, if that was possible. Emmett stuffed a handful of chips into his mouth. Mrs. Cullen turned around.

"Edward and Emmett," she started. "Alice and Bella –Emmett, no chips now! -can eat or do whatever they want in this house. Not anything which causes damage to the house, of course, but other than that, anything. You both better behave yourselves." Ha, I can literally see both of them deflating like balloons. Ha, mom to the rescue. "_And_," she continued, "You _will_ share the Oreo cookies. If you're going to fight over it, I'll divide it for you. But, it's almost time for dinner, so none of you will eat now. I'm sure my chicken is delicious and I want all of you to eat well. I would prefer if there weren't any leftovers. Do I make myself clear?" Edward groaned. Emmett started complaining. I thought he sounded like a baby.

"When did Rose –oops, _Rosalie_ die? And since when is Bella your best friend?" he sneered at Alice and then he started shouting, "And _no_, I DON'T WANT OREO COOKIES!" With that, he stomped his foot and stormed out of the kitchen. Emmett stuck his nose up, said "Hmph!" and followed his brother. I looked at Alice, whose face was getting pink. We both burst out laughing at the same time. Mrs. Cullen laughed a little bit too. The cuckoo clock in the passageway chimed six times. I gasped.

"Oh, it's already six o'clock!" I said sadly. I was having so much fun here. "I should call my mom. Could you show me where the phone is, please?" Alice pouted.

"NOOOOOOO!" she wailed. "Stay for longer! Do you want to stay for dinner? Do you want to stay for a _sleepover_?" I sighed. I hoped mom would say yes. It would be so fun to stay for a sleepover. But not if Emmett and Mr. Grouch stuck around. Alice showed me the phone. I dialed my phone number and waited for someone to answer.

"Hello?" my dad picked it up on the fourth ring.

"Hey dad, what took you so long to answer the phone?" I could hear the TV in the background.

"Oh, um, sorry. We were a little busy. Anyway, are you done at Alice's house? Are you ready for mom to come and pick you up?" He asked me.

"Well, I kind of wanted to know if I could stay over for a dinner and then a sleepover. Um, would it be ok?" Please, please, please, please say yes.

"Well, I think you should talk to mom about that. But, it's ok with me." He passed the phone to mom.

"Hello? Bella honey, are you ready to be picked up?"

"Mom, can I stay over here for a sleepover?" I crossed my fingers. Please say yes. Alice looked like she was freaking out. She was bouncing up and down next to me.

"Did they say yes? Did they? Tell me fast, Bella!" Alice pleaded. I signaled for her to be quiet.

"Ok, sure. Do you want me to come over and drop off your stuff, like pajamas and toothbrush and all?" I gave Alice a thumbs up, and she started singing at the top of her lungs. One of those party-ish songs, I think.

"Ok, thanks, mom. Bye, see you soon." I hung up. Fifteen or twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang. Alice and I raced to the door and took the bag from my mom which she had brought all the stuff in. Before we entered the living room, I whispered to Alice, "Let's torture the boys." She smiled, evilly. We ran to the living room and dropped onto the comfy sofa.

"Why do you have a bag?" Emmett asked suspiciously. I smiled sweetly. I looked at Alice and she nodded. We both got up and started jumping on the sofa.

"We're having a sleepover! We're having a sleepover! We're having a –" Alice and I chanted, over and over again until Edward leaped up. He looked angry and annoyed. Emmett looked bored.

"What? You're staying for a sleepover, too? THAT'S IT! Emmett, get your butt over to my room. We are calling Jasper over. DO YOU HEAR ME?" he shouted into Emmett's ear. Emmett must have jumped a foot off the sofa, looking shocked. I giggled. Edward turned to us, "This means war," he hissed. Alice narrowed her eyes at him.

"Well, guess what? We're inviting Rose over, too! Beat that! HA!" She shrieked near Emmett's other ear. I guess that was too much for him to handle. He got up and turned around to face Alice and Edward.

"WILL YOU STOP SHOUTING IN MY EAR? I'M GOING TO GO DEAF, AT THIS RATE! STOP SHOUTING!!" Emmett roared. Suddenly, they both were pin-drop silent. "_Good_!" He added. I glared at him. He couldn't do that. I started yelling at him,

"Look here, _Emmett_. Do you think you're the ruler of the universe or something? Well, wake up, mister. You're not! And, for starters, you can't tell me and Alice what to do. I don't personally care about Edward, so that's your choice, but if you ever insult Alice, I will …. I will…." I stood up and marched over to him and lifted my hand. He looked terrified and covered his face. I poked his forehead twice. Hard. And then I pulled on his cheek, like he was a little baby. "Good boy." I smiled at him and patted his head. Emmett just stood there. His eyes were wide open, and if they opened any more, maybe they would fall out of his head. Edward's mouth was wide open. Alice grinned in victory. I turned on my heel.

"But –" Emmett started. I spun around super fast on my heel and pointed my finger at him. He became quiet.

"That's better. So, Alice, where's the party?" I asked her. She was looking past me, at the doorway. I turned around, flinching. Mrs. Cullen, Rosalie, Jasper and a man who could only be Mr. Cullen stood in the doorway stunned. I felt myself blush. Oh my god, I hope I didn't look like a tomato. I guess they saw the whole drama. Then, Rosalie started clapping her hands. "H-hi, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen," My voice shook a little. I hope they didn't hate me now. They both looked like they were about to explode with laughter.

"Hello, dear. You must be Isabella Swan. I'm Carlisle Cullen, Alice's father." The man said. I just smiled weakly. Jasper suddenly had a mischievous look on his face. I turned my glare to him and if looks could kill, he'd be dead. He was probably no better than his friends. I swear, I will kill them if they try anything weird, I thought.

"Please call me Bella, Mr. Cullen. Nice to meet you. I didn't really mean –Emmett was just –Sorry," I muttered. "Hi Rosalie. Hi Jasper." Rosalie smiled at me.

"Call me Rose," she said happily. "Only people I like can call me that. And I definitely like you." I smiled back slowly.

"Sure!"

"That was so awesome!" Rose cried and came into the room. She went over to Emmett and patted his head. "Good boy, Emmett. Please don't bother us when we're in Alice's room. Come on, girls." Emmett looked embarrassed. Without looking back at the living room, Rose, Alice and I trudged upstairs to Alice's room. As soon as the door was closed, Rose squealed. Alice screamed. I just watched them freak out. When I thought they were ok, I exhaled loudly.

"So, why is this such a big deal? I think I put Emmett in his place," I bragged proudly. They both took one look at my face and started laughing hysterically again. I sighed. Now this was annoying. "_What_?" I waited with my arms crossed until the stopped laughing.

"OK, now we're good." Rose said, calming herself down. "It's just so hilarious. You should see your expression. We just had such a huge victory, and you're sitting with a straight face. And I can't believe you just did that to _Emmett_!" I was confused.

"Why? What's up with Emmett?" I challenged.

"Rosalie has a crush on Emmett, just like you like Edward!" Alice exclaimed. I slapped my forehead and Rose gasped again.

"YOU LIKE EDWARD?" she screeched.

"YOU LIKE EMMETT?" I shouted, just as loud. I put my finger to my lip and hushed her. Oh god, I hope no one heard us.

"Shut up! And I guess it's just a crush," I admitted. "Anyway, you saw Edward. And you know him. He _hates_ me!" Alice and Rose both rolled their eyes.

"Well, I like Emmett. He's so cute. And don't mind Edward, Bella. He hates everyone. Don't be too hard on yourself." Rose said. Suddenly she had a mischievous look in her eyes. "Alice likes Jasper!" she blurted out. I frowned. What happened to best friends forever? You know, the whole secret keeping thing.

"Great, so you both like each other's brother, right? I see." I asked to clear my confusion. Weird. They both blushed and nodded. "Oh, right. I forgot to introduce myself, even though you probably already know who I am. I am Isabella Swan, but I like to be called Bella, and I don't like people who call me Isabella. Just to let you know." Rose looked hyper.

"I know, I heard downstairs, after you embarrassed Emmett. I have an idea! Let's play a prank on the guys!" she exclaimed. I was all for it. Anything to bug Edward and Emmett. I didn't really know Jasper too well, so I wasn't sure if he deserved it or not.

"I'm in! But, not just one prank. That's not enough for them. OK?" I said. Perfect, I thought. This was going to be so much fun. I smiled evilly.

"That's for sure. I'm in, too!" Alice chimed. She grinned. We sat in a circle, whispering, and plotting the perfect come-back.

**I really liked the thing with Emmett, you know, Bella poked him, pulled his cheek and patted his head. I started laughing when I was writing it. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW !! REVIEWS MAKE ME HAPPY !! THE NEXT CHAPTER IS GOING TO BE ABOUT THE PRANKS...**


	3. Chapter 3

**OK, sorry I didn't update sooner. I had most of it written, but I was kind of lazy to finish it. Anyway, please read and review. Also, I don't know how fast I can update after next week, cause school starts on june 23rd. Anyway, read and review !**

Chapter 3

BPOV

"Alice, get it out quickly! Jeez, what do you have in that closet? It looks like it's going to explode." I was getting hyper. What if she couldn't get out the whoopee cushions from the bottom of her closet? Part one of our plan would fail. Rose marched over to Alice's cupboard and pushed her aside.

"Let the master show you how it's done." She held the whoopee cushions and tugged it quickly and hard. They came out easily. But unfortunately, Rose lost her balance and she fell onto Alice. I was standing behind Alice, so we all fell down like human dominoes.

"Ouch!" I hissed.

"I'm fine," Rose said, smiling.

"Well, get off me Rose!" Alice said, annoyed. Ugh. Maybe they were both forgetting that I was the one on the bottom.

"Alice! Rose! I'm kind of squished down here!" They looked down at me and struggled to their feet. Rose and Alice each held out one hand and pulled me up. We all took one whoopee cushion and went downstairs. We knew that the boys were busy, because we could hear shouting coming from Edward's room. Alice told me that they only get like that when they are into the game. I guessed that they wouldn't be down in a while. When we got to the kitchen-cum-dining room, no one was there yet, so we quickly got to work. The job had to be finished before Mr. or Mrs. Cullen came.

"OK, listen here," Alice commanded. "We need to do this quickly and carefully, before mom and dad come. Rose, Emmett sits in that chair, Bella, Edward sits there and Jasper will be sitting here." I found a problem with that plan.

"Um, Alice? How do you know where they'll sit? What if we end up sitting on the whoopee cushion seats?" Rose just smiled. "I, do now want to sit in one of the 'target' chairs in front of your mom and dad, Alice, and I don't think you or Rose would want to, either!"

"We kind of have fixed seating places here. Mom and dad always sit in those places and Edward, Emmett and me always sit in the same seats every night. You guys take those seats next to me, and there's only one seat left where Jasper has to sit!" She seemed pleased by her thinking. We heard footsteps coming toward the kitchen. I panicked. Rose looked like she would start freaking out. Alice shoved the whoopee cushion under Jasper's seat and Rose and I did the same for our whoopee cushions fast. Mrs. Cullen came into the kitchen, humming. When she saw us three already there, she looked surprised.

"Why are you girls in here? Don't you have anything to do?" she asked us. Alice pointed at the seats which Rose and I had called.

"Mom, Rose and Bella are going to sit in these two seats, ok? So don't let Jasper sit here. Please, mom? I want to sit next to both of them!" Alice put on her puppy dog face. Mrs. Cullen laughed.

"Of course not, Alice dear. You girls go do something until dinner is ready. I just have to make a salad quickly." She took out a large bowl from the cupboard and some lettuce and tomato from the fridge.

"Let's go," I told them. We ran up to Alice's room and closed the door. "I really hope part one of our plan works," I whispered. I knew no one would hear me, but it sounded cooler. And we were on a mission. We sat on Alice's bed, discussing the next parts of our plan when we heard Mrs. Cullen calling everyone down for dinner.

"ALICE! ROSE! BELLA! EDWARD! EMMETT! JASPER! DINNER'S READY!" I guess Mrs. Cullen had to shout really loudly so that everyone could hear her. It was a big house, after all. We walked down slowly, as though nothing was wrong. I was trying not to laugh and I could tell the Rose and Alice were trying too. But suddenly Alice giggled. I covered her mouth with my hand. Rose glared at Alice. She whispered something in her ear. Alice immediately stopped laughing. I wondered what Rose had said to make her stop laughing, but I decided to ask her later. We had almost reached the kitchen. As we had planned, only Mr. and Mrs. Cullen were sitting at the table, talking. The boys were still upstairs. Rose, Alice and I sat down in the places we had 'reserved'. We heard heavy footsteps on the stairs. I looked excitedly at Rose and Alice. But, by the time they came into the kitchen, we three had normal expressions on our faces.

Emmett, not worrying about washing his hands or anything, went around the table and pulled out the chair. I held my breath and waited for him to drop onto it. He plopped down onto the chair. The loud noise of the whoopee cushion broke the silence. I covered my mouth, trying my best not to laugh. Rose was biting her lip. Hard. Alice couldn't take it anymore. She burst out laughing. Mr. and Mrs. Cullen looked amused.

"Emmett, what have I told you about manners at the table when guests are over?" she scolded. Emmett's face had turned red. He looked from Rose to Alice to me. His expression turned from embarrassment to understanding. Uh-oh. Edward and Jasper, who were sniggering, sat down at the exact same time. A loud sound blared through the kitchen. Their eye's widened. Emmett roared with laughter and started slapping the table. I guess he was overcome with hysterical laughter. Edward narrowed his eyes at Rose and then at me.

"Edward, Jasper, I expect proper manners from you both, too." Mrs. Cullen frowned. Nobody said anything for the rest of dinner. Other than catching Edward and Emmett looking suspiciously at me, I didn't look up and after I was finished eating, I went up to Alice's room to wait for her and Rose. They came up after about ten minutes. We looked at each other for maybe ten seconds and started laughing.

"Oh my god," I gasped. I couldn't breathe from laughing so much. "Did you see the expressions on their faces?" Rose fell onto the bed, pulling Alice down too. "OK stop laughing," I ordered. "It's time for the next part of the plan." I checked off the first part on our checklist. Alice jumped up. She looked excited.

"OK, here is the stack of CDs which you have to switch. I had a list ready for emergencies and looks like it came in handy. So, you have to switch the CDs with the same names. The CDs we have here are all girly movies like A Cinderella Story, and some cartoons and stuff. But I put the wrong labels on them. So, Emmett won't figure it out until he realizes that all of his CDs were switched." Alice looked proud of herself. This really was fun. I couldn't believe that I had missed out on this all these years. We each took a bunch of CDs and headed out the door.

"OK girls, you know the plan, right?" Rose whispered to us, as we crept through the hallway on our tiptoes. We knew that the boys were downstairs, in the kitchen, so we only had maybe ten or fifteen minutes to pull off the second prank. We snuck into the family room. We opened the glass door of the cupboard where all of Edward's and Emmett's movies were and slowly got to work. I took out all the movies from the showcase which I had to switch. Rose and Alice finished theirs quickly. They waited for me.

After I finished, we snuck out just as quietly and went back to our room and changed into our pajamas quickly. Rose was wearing light pink satin pants and a dark pink tank top. I wore my favorite dark blue plaid capris and an old soccer t-shirt and Alice was wearing a yellow t-shirt and blue shorts. **(A/N: Sorry about the outfits. I wasn't sure whether Alice and Rose were fashion freaks when they were ten years old.)** We skipped down the stairs and headed into the kitchen. Rose searched the cupboard until she found a container with red powder. Alice held up a container with white powder. I rubbed my hands together wickedly. Ha. I couldn't wait to see the expression on their faces when they ate the super spicy, sweet popcorn.

"But, Bella, how are we going to give them this popcorn? They might have a suspicion that we did something to it." Alice sadly said.

"Come on, I'm sure something will work out." Rose said, comforting her. Just then, we heard Emmett shouting from upstairs.

"ALICE! COULD YOU BRING UP SOME POPCORN, PRETTY PLEASE?" he hollered. "Perfect," I whispered. We all grinned at each other.

"OK, team, let's go put the next part of our plan into action. Alice, does he ever ask you to get popcorn for him?" Rose asked in a soft voice. Alice shook her head, confused. I giggled. I can't believe that Emmett had chosen tonight of all nights to as Alice to get him popcorn. They would never know what hit them. Rose added the ingredients in the popcorn and we put it in the microwave. After about two or three minutes of popping, we took out the bag and dumped the popcorn into a large bowl. Alice winked and me and Rose and then we three went upstairs to the living room where Edward, Emmett and Jasper were lying all over the couches. All of their movies were spread across the floor. I exchanged glances with Rose and Alice.  
"I normally wouldn't do this for you, Emmett, but since my friends are here, we decided to be _extra_ nice to you. Right, girls?" She looked at us. I had to control myself so that I wouldn't burst out laughing. Rose and I nodded. Edward narrowed his eyes at the tone of her voice, but he didn't say anything. "So, here is your popcorn." She gave the bowl to Edward. "So what movie are you planning to watch?"

"Probably Star Wars," Jasper replied. "I love stuff which is about war." I rolled my eyes. Rose made a face.

"OK, well, we, um, are going to go and watch a movie in my room. So, have fun. Can I take some popcorn for us?" Alice asked slyly. Jasper's mouth dropped open. Edward looked stunned. Emmett growled.

"NO WAY!" All three guys shouted at the same time.

"OK, ok, ok." Alice put up her hands in surrender. "Jeez, chill out." Alice walked out first, followed by me, followed by Rose. I smiled at both of them. Once we were back in Alice's room, which was just a couple of rooms down the hallway, we sat and waited. And waited. After about ten minutes, we heard three voices screaming,

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

"I guess they finally tasted the popcorn." I said and shrugged my shoulders. Then I started laughing. It was just too funny. Alice cleared her throat and stood up.

"OK, this is good, but, you don't know Emmett, Bella. He's always up for a good prank. So he's probably going to take revenge with Edward and Jasper. So we have to be careful. Got it?" She spoke more to me than Rose. Rose probably already knew all this. I nodded my head. "Good!" she beamed at us. "This is so totally awesome. We have to do this again!" I felt so happy at that moment. It pleased me that they liked my company. I yawned and looked up at the heart shaped clock on Alice's wall. It was already 11:30. My eyes were drooping. Alice was lying on her back with her eyes closed. I had a feeling she had fallen asleep. Rose raised her eyebrow.

"I think we should set up the sleeping bags. I have an alarm on my watch. I'll wake you guys up to do the last prank, ok? I'm pretty tired, too." We unrolled two sleeping bags and Mrs. Cullen gave us a couple pillows. I snuggled deep into the warm sleeping bag and drifted off to sleep. I could have sworn I heard some movement, but I guessed it was just Rose. Maybe she couldn't get to sleep. After that, I couldn't remember anything.

I had the strangest dream that night. Edward and I were fighting over Oreo cookies, with Emmett, Rose, Jasper and Alice watching us. A fairy which looked like Mrs. Cullen picked us up and flew to Oreo land where you got unlimited Oreos. I heard a phone ringing and I was looking all over Oreo land to find it. I was running faster and faster, when…

"Bella! BELLA! Wake up!" Alice and Rose shook me. I opened my eyes groggily. It was pitch dark and I couldn't see anything.

"Guys!" I complained and rolled over. WHAM! Something hit me in the head. Hard. "OWWW!" I was about to shout, when someone's hand covered my mouth. I sat up and looked around. The hand was removed. I put my hand on the floor. Ewwwww. There was something sticky and cold. Alice turned on the light. I gasped. Rose looked horrified and Alice was plain shocked.

'OH MY GOD!" Rose whisper shouted. The whole room was covered in silly string. _We_ were covered in silly string. I tried desperately to pull it out of my hair, but I just ended up breaking my hair. I screamed into my pillow.

"OK, THAT'S IT!" Alice looked furious. "Time for the last prank on our list. Ready, girls?" She held up her makeup bag and we tiptoed to Emmett's room where all three boys were snoring. We turned on the dim light and got to work.

The next morning, we woke up when Mrs. Cullen poked her head inside and told us that it was already 10:00.

"Are the boys up yet?" Alice asked eagerly. Mrs. Cullen narrowed her eyes suspiciously and shook her head.

"Do you want to go wake them up?" she asked us. We nodded. She closed the door and left. Rose kicked Alice. Alice yelped.

"What was that for, Rose?" she whined. Rose just glared at her. We got out of our sleeping bags and went to Emmett's room. They were still snoring. Ugh. Alice raised her brow and we giggled. I guess we should wake them up, I thought. "Listen; let's drag them downstairs before they get a chance to see themselves in the mirror." She whispered to us. "_And, _let's shout in their ears to wake them up. I'll wake up Jasper, Rose, you wake up Emmett and Bella, you wake up Edward." She smiled to herself. I glared at her, but I don't think she saw me. I crept up to Edward and brought my mouth near his ear. "Ready… set…go!" she said. I took a deep breath and shouted as loud as I could, at the same time as Rose and Alice.

"GOOD MORNING!" I roared into Edward's ear. Edward, Emmett and Jasper jumped at the loud shouting and fell of the bed. I cracked up at their expressions. Edward gave me a death stare and Emmett and Jasper did, too.

"What was that supposed to be?" Emmett whined. Alice, right on cue grabbed Jasper's arm and started dragging him out of the room.

"Mom and dad are calling you guys. RIGHT NOW!" Alice ordered. Rose dragged Emmett and I just looked over at Edward. He exhaled loudly.

"If you even put a finger on me, I swear I will-" I didn't bother about what he said after that, and just grabbed his arm and dragged him down. Emmett and Jasper were sitting at the table. Mr. and Mrs. Cullen looked stunned. I guess they were admiring our handiwork. Edward looked at his brother and friend, horrified. Emmett and Jasper stared back at him.

"Did you boys go for a beauty pageant, which we didn't know about?" Mr. Cullen teased. Emmett's face grew red. Edward looked ready to murder someone and Jasper just looked dazed. Emmett seemed to snap out of it. He looked very angry now.

"DID YOU GUYS SWITCH OUR MOVIES LAST NIGHT? AND PUT SALT AND CHILLY POWDER IN OUR POPCORN? WE HAD TO WATCH A CINDERELLA STORY BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE!" he shouted. Mr. and Mrs. Cullen looked at Rose, Alice and me sternly. Suddenly, it wasn't so funny anymore.

**Bella leaves in the next chapter... I think. I have to start it, still. Please review. I want lots of reviews !! If you read this chapter, take a minute to tell me how it was !**


	4. Author's Note

**Author Note:**

**Sorry, but I won't be able to update until Friday or Saturday because I'm leaving my grandmother's house day after tomorrow and I may not get time to type until Thursday night or Friday.**

**I really liked all the pranks and the stuff with Emmett in chapter 2. And one other thing. Someone asked me whether the girls cleaned up the silly string before Mrs. Cullen came to wake them up. That will come up in the next chapter. And yes they will confront the boys about everything. And the boys will get mad at them, too.**

**Ya, so in the next chapter, Bella is leaving Forks... **

**Please, please, PLEASE review !! **


	5. Chapter 4

**Sorry I took so long to update. Really, really sorry. Enjoy !!**

**Chapter 4**

BPOV

Suddenly, to my surprise, Mrs. Cullen burst out giggling. Mr. Cullen frowned.

"I hardly think this is a laughing matter, dear," he said in disapproval. But Mrs. Cullen's laughs were rubbing off on him. He started laughing, too. Emmett looked at his parents like they were crazy. Edward looked shocked at his parents' reactions. Alice had fallen onto the ground from laughing so much. Rose and I clutched our stomachs.

"OK, this is the first and last time, girls. I know it was revenge this time. And boys," Mrs. Cullen's eyes narrowed as she spoke to them, "next time you will not irritate your sister and her friends for no reason."

"But mom, there is a reason." Edward said brightly. Mrs. Cullen raised her eyebrows as he continued, "They're all so irritable." He smiled innocently at her and then rolled his eyes. Mr. Cullen rolled his eyes. Emmett gave Edward a high five. We all sat around the table and ate breakfast. Mrs. Cullen had made yummy chocolate chip pancakes and waffles. She passed around the jug of milk. Emmett was talking the whole time, and only paused when Mrs. Cullen scolded him and told him not to talk with his mouth full. Rose, Alice and I finished at the same time.

"Wait, girls." Mr. Cullen interrupted. "To make it up to you, the boys will make orange juice for everyone. Won't you?" He narrowed his eyes at them but I could see that he was just pretending to be angry. They groaned. Muttering to themselves and talking to each other once in a while, they made the orange juice. I watched as they put two spoons of white crystals of sugar into the juice. They placed one glass before each of us and started sipping from their own glasses. I could see Edward watching me carefully from the corner of my eye. Huh? Anyway, I loved orange juice. It was so pulpy and fresh, especially when it was just squeezed. I put my mouth to the cup and took a huge gulp. A strong, salty taste immediately filled my mouth and I almost spit it out, but then I thought that it wouldn't be polite, so I swallowed it with a lot of difficulty. Emmett gave Jasper and Edward high-fives. Rose's face was green and Alice was half-choking, half-coughing. I poured myself a cup of water and gulped it down. I must have drunk at least five cups of water before the salty taste started to fade. I glared daggers at the guys before I sighed, what was the use? Alice, Rose and I put our plates in the sink, dumped out the rest of the salty orange juice and rushed upstairs. After we got into Alice's room, we all sighed in relief and fumed with anger, at the same time.

"Oh. My. God." Alice screeched. "That was the most disgusting drink I have ever tasted." She shook her head in disgust and shuddered. "I can still taste the salt."

"Well it can't be as bad as that time the boys put chili sauce in your watermelon juice." Rosalie reminded her. Alice frowned, and winced as though the memory made her feel the pain of drinking chili sauce all over again. "Oh Alice, thank goodness we cleaned up all that silly string as soon as we came back from beautifying the boys." Rosalie exclaimed. "I didn't think your mom would come and wake us up. She never does that." All of a sudden, the door burst open. Edward, Emmett and Jasper stood in the doorway, frowning at us. I could almost see the smoke coming out of their ears.

"OK, spit it out. Whose _brilliant _idea was it to do make-up? And the movie switch? _And_ the chilly popcorn trick?" Edward growled at us. "You guys think that just because you are girls, mom and dad will let you off easy. Well, tough luck, because it's not going to happen next time. Oh, by the way," he added, "how did mom react to the silly string?" Emmett and Jasper grinned at him. Now it was our turn to show-off.

"How can you day that? After the salty orange juice, you don't have the right to accuse of anything. We're even now. And, for your information, we had it all cleaned up by the time Mrs. Cullen came and called us for breakfast. After we came and made you guys look pretty, we cleaned up Alice's room. Too bad you played your prank before we did ours. Guess we're too smart for you. Anyway, the war is still on. We'll settle the scores next time. Anyway, it's time for you to leave. We some stuff to do." She flipped her shoulder-length blond hair, slammed the door in their faces and locked it. She turned to us and smiled. _Knock, knock_. "Ugh. If it's them again, I swear I won't leave them in one piece." She turned angrily and swung the door open. "You stupid idiotic morons, can't you–" Mrs. Cullen stood in the doorway, with her arms crossed. She raised one eyebrow.

"Rose," she started. "I don't want to hear any of that language in my house. Understand?" Rose just nodded. "Anyway, I came up here because Bella's mom called. She said she's on her way over, and to get all of your things ready. Change out of your pajamas, brush your teeth, pack up all your stuff-" Mrs. Cullen frantically started rolling up all the sleeping bags. I groaned. Alice and Rose looked sad too. But not as sad as I felt. This was the best time I had had in my whole life. I slowly took a shower, and stuffed my pajamas into the backpack which I had brought over. I started looking around Alice's room to check if I had left anything behind. Alice muttered something about being back in a minute and ran out the door. Rose just sat on the bed and watched me pack my things, with a gloomy expression on her face. Alice burst back into the room, dragging Mrs. Cullen with her.

"Mom, take a picture of the three of us! It can be a memory of our first sleepover together!" Alice pushed at camera into Mrs. Cullen's hands and pulled me to the bed. She flung her arms around mine and Rose's neck and almost strangled me. I smiled widely, as Mrs. Cullen took a picture. Mrs. Cullen handed Alice the camera and went out of the room. "I'll give you a copy when we develop it, ok?" The doorbell rang. My shoulders slumped. My mom was here. Alice looked like she realized that, too. She ran over to me and hugged me tightly. Rose gave me a gentle hug. We walked hand-in-hand down the stairs towards the front door. Edward was standing in the living room doorway, which was unfortunately on the way to the door. He just glared at me. I didn't bother to return it, I was too upset. His expression softened a little bit, but remained cold.

"Bye, I'll miss you… _not_." He sneered at me. That was just too much for me. Even though he hated me, I hated him, too, I knew I would miss him. Who knew when mom would let me come back again for a sleepover or just to hang out? What if I didn't come back for a long time? A single tear rolled down my cheek. I looked away from Edward. Emmett ran down the steps, two at a time. He looked at me with an angry expression on his face. I just turned towards the door again and closed my eyes until I thought I was there. I didn't see Jasper anywhere. My mom was standing on the porch, talking to Mrs. Cullen. Even though her face was smiling, her eyes looked a little cold. I was confused. She was usually happy. And she liked Mrs. Cullen. What was wrong? I stepped outside, with my backpack over one shoulder. After saying goodbye to Mrs. Cullen and she gave me a hug, me and mom trudged to the car. Alice and Rose came up to the car window. I sat in the back seat and quickly rolled down the window.

"Well, I guess we'll see you around…?" Rose asked. I just nodded my head. Alice looked more cheerful at the idea.

"OK, well, bye Bella!" she and Rose waved at me and my mom pulled the car out of the long, winding driveway. I turned around to wave at Alice and Rose for the last time before the house disappeared the trees. My mom smiled at me. I recognized it as one of her fake smiles, the kind she used when she was talking to salespeople and when she was trying to hide that she was annoyed or angry.

"How was the sleepover?" she asked me. I smiled as I remembered what all we had done last night and then started telling her what happened. "Wow, it sounds like you girls had fun. I'm glad you had a chance to have such a good time before- Well, I'm glad you had such a good time. It's nice to know that you are such good friends with Rose and Alice." I looked suspiciously at her. She was acting strange. Well, stranger than normal. My mom was a little out there. She liked to try new, crazy things like kayaking, sky-diving, and she told me once that she wanted to go mountain climbing in the Himalayas. But, she didn't seem ok right now.

"Mom, is everything alright?" I asked. She just looked at me through the rearview, and watched me for a minute before she smiled and nodded her head. We pulled up into the driveway. I saw lots and lots of brown, cardboard boxes stacked on the grass on our front lawn. "What's all this?" I almost shouted. Mom sighed.

"Go up and have a shower quickly, and bring your clothes down. I'll tell you." I crossed my arms. I wanted an explanation.

"I want to know now!" I tapped my foot impatiently. She just lifted her hand and pointed a finger towards the house. I knew she wouldn't budge. I glared at her and ran inside and up the stairs and into my room. I skidded to a stop and gasped. Then I screamed. "MOM! DAD!" Dad was behind me. He had a sad, but decided expression on his face. "Are we moving?" I hissed.

"Well, it depends on who _we_ is," he started. Mom burst in just at that minute. She just looked at both of us.

"I think Bella has the right to know, Charlie." She said softly. "Bella, honey, you and I are moving to Phoenix. Dad and I…we, well, got a divorce." No. NO. _No_. This can't be happening. I didn't understand what she was saying. I just stared at her. "Go have a shower. We're leaving as soon as you're finished. I booked two plane tickets for us. The moving truck will bring our stuff over in a few days." She handed me my favorite blue towel. I stormed up to my bedroom. At least, I stormed up to the room which _used_ to be my bedroom. Now it was just a plain room with blue walls. There was no furniture. I just walked to the bathroom, dazed. What was happening? Mom and dad couldn't be getting divorced... could they? No, they were probably just joking. My strawberry-scented shampoo, my stand which used to hold my toothpaste and toothbrush, it was all gone. I took off my clothes, turned on the shower and stood under. Suddenly, everything made sense. We were leaving. Mom and I were leaving. I wasn't going to be with dad anymore. And… oh, no. Alice and Rose. I couldn't even say goodbye. I had to leave the place that I had lived for my whole life. That was the last thing I remember before I broke down and started sobbing. I cried and cried, more than I ever had in my life. _Knock, knock_.

"Bella, honey, hurry up! We're getting late!" I turned off the shower and dried myself. I put on my clothes and looked in the mirror. My eyes were blood-shot from crying so much. A few more tears rolled down my face and I quickly wiped them away and washed my face. After brushing my hair a little, I went downstairs.

"I'm ready." I said quietly. My eyes welled up with tears again when I looked at my dad, who was standing near the window, looking outside. He wasn't even looking at me. I sniffed and he seemed to notice me. He turned around, with tears in his eyes. I had never seen my dad cry before. This brought more tears down. I ran and gave him a tight hug.

"Ahem." My mom stood near the door, her face was emotionless, except for a little sadness. She came up to me and took my hand gently. I grabbed dad's hand with my free hand. Mom pulled me out the door. I watched as mine and dad's hands were separated and the distance grew wider and wider. As I stepped out the door, I turned to look at my house for the last time. I didn't even know when or if I would ever see it again. But at that moment, I made a promise to myself that I would come back here.

I sat in the backseat of the taxi which mom had called to take us to Port Angeles. Mom got in from the other side. The engine started. Suddenly I became frightened and was gasping for breath. The taxi started to move forward. I turned around and looked out the back window of the taxi. Dad and the house started to get farther and farther and then we turned the corner and I couldn't see either of them anymore. Mom put her arm around my shoulder when I cried again and held me close.

The taxi dropped us off at the small airport in Port Angeles. I didn't want to leave. But mom just rushed me around everywhere and finally we were sitting on a small plane. Before I could fall asleep, we had landed in Seattle. Mom said that we had to change flights here. We found the gate which our flight was leaving from and sat in comfy blue sofas. After about an hour of sitting and doing nothing, the announcer said that it was time for boarding. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I suddenly felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. We got into the plane and I closed my eyes, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.

We reached Phoenix a while later. The airport was very big. When we got out of the airport, I felt the heat attack me from all sides. Ugh, why did I wear a black long-sleeved top? Oh, right. I was in Forks this morning. The thought made me hurt inside.

"Well, Bella, here's the thing. I already spoke with a friend and she bought me a house here in Phoenix. It's not going to be furnished, so we'll need to sleep in sleeping bags for a few days. I know we don't really have a choice, but I'm telling you now itself, so that you can prepare yourself." Of course we have a choice! I felt like shouting at her, we can go back to Forks! But I thought it was best to not say anything. She caught a taxi and we sat in it and it pulled up in front of the house that I would soon be calling my home. Like that's going to happen, I thought bitterly. "Wow, isn't it beautiful?" mom enthusiastically skipped up the walkway. I just grumbled. For the next few days, we slept in sleeping bags on the floor and ordered take-out food everyday. Our neighbors were pretty nice people, so they told us to have breakfast with them until our kitchen dishes and items came. The days passed by, as slow as they could get.

Pretty soon, 3 years passed. I had gotten over my move from Forks. Of course I still missed dad, Forks, Alice, and Rose. I was over Edward. I mean, I didn't hate him anymore, but I didn't have a crush on him, either. He was just another guy, just Alice's brother to me now. Plus, I was sure there would nice people in Phoenix, too. I remembered that sleepover night. It was the best night ever. I wonder if Alice still lives there. Did she remember me? Did she miss me? Did Rose miss me? I knew that I missed them. But time passed with school, activities, and chores. Though it passed slowly at times, it still passed.

--

It's been seven years since I moved from Forks. But I am very well adjusted now in Phoenix. I have great friends and I am an A+ student. Renee (That's what I call her now, but not to her face) got married last year to a man named Phil. He's nice, but I sometimes get the feeling that mom doesn't want me around as much now. Earlier, it used to be just the two of us. We did everything together. Ever since Phil came into her life, something seems to have snapped between us. Of course, she'll always be my mom, but things were different now. And that was when I made my decision. I'd been thinking about it for the past couple of weeks and finally decided on moving back to Forks. There's no guarantee that Alice or Rose will still be there, but I've missed living with Charlie. He's been living alone for too long. I decided to break the news to Renee over dinner that night.

"Mom, I've been thinking…" I started. She looked up. I wasn't sure how to tell her. More than her, I would be worried. I mean, where was the guarantee that Phil would be able to care for her, like I had? I looked down at my plate, feeling intimidated by her gaze.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" I took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"Well, I think it would be a good idea for me to move back to Forks. I don't want you to be unhappy because of me. You just got married mom, and I think you deserve some time with him. Don't worry about me. Charlie has been living alone for too long. And besides, I miss Forks. Sure, it might not be the same as when I used to live there, but I'm sure it hasn't changed too much. I mean, come on, this is Forks, we're talking about." I said quickly. She looked unsure, like she was trying to make a decision.

"Well, will anything I say make you change your mind?" she asked with a half smile. I was the most stubborn person on this planet. She of all people knew that. I shook my head. She sighed in resignation. "If that's really what you want…"

That night, we booked my plane ticket online. I was to leave the day after. I spent the next day thoroughly packing all of my things, making sure I didn't forget anything.

Soon enough, the day came. Renee bid me a tearful goodbye at the airport and I continuously reminded her that I _wanted_ to go. I checked in my luggage and passed through security check. There was nothing much to do in the airport, so I just took out a book from my hand baggage and started reading from a random part. I didn't even realize how fast time passed. Suddenly I heard the announcement that the flight I was taking was boarding now. I stumbled to my feet and showed them my ticket. I was seated in the window seat. Some elderly couple was sitting next to me, but I didn't take much notice of them. I was too busy gazing out the window. As the plane took off, I took one more glance out the window at Phoenix, awaiting my stay in Forks.

**Please read and review. I love reviews!!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hi everybody! Sorry I took so long to update. Actually what happened was, I got viral fever, so I had a temperature of 104.7 degrees F for like, 4 days and on top of that, I had a lot of school work and stuff. But here's the next chapter. Sorry if it's shorter than the other chapters, but I wanted to make her first day a new chapter. So here it is, Chapter 5. enjoy !!**

**Chapter 5**

It was a 4-hour flight from Phoenix to Seattle. Luckily I had brought my walkman, so I wasn't bored and I think I dozed off a couple of times. Anyway, before I knew it, I had reached Seattle. Sighing, I lugged along my suitcase to the next boarding gate. I didn't have much time to get there, so I was careful not to trip on my way. That would be just what I needed to slow me down. It was a very small aircraft and there weren't many people on it. I sat alone. When the plane took off, I started to get a little nervous. Had I made the right choice by coming back to Forks? Time seemed to pass by very slowly. I literally counted each second and was relieved when we started to descend. But landing brought me back to reality. I was going to Forks. A dozen emotions flitted through me. I was excited at the prospect of seeing Charlie, Alice and Rose. Of course, Edward, Emmett and Jasper were insignificant in my life. I mean, it was just a casual encounter that night.

I took my hand baggage out of the overhead compartment and made my way towards the luggage claim. I only brought two suitcases. I had a lot more clothes than that in Phoenix, but I wasn't sure whether all of the clothes I had were appropriate for Forks weather. Mainly I had brought long sleeves and jeans. After I got both of my suitcases and heaved them onto a trolley, I began to search for Charlie. He probably looked the same, I mused. Then I spotted his head bobbing in the crowd. My face broke into a smile.

I shoved my trolley towards him and hugged him. "Hi dad! It's so good to see you again!" Yup. He definitely looked the same. Only difference was that his hair was greyer now.

"Bells, you've grown up so much! You're so beautiful." I blushed at that. "I drove down in the cruiser. It's just parked over there. Let's go." He walked at a quick pace and I had to push the trolley fast to keep up with him. But of course, me being me, had to trip. I landed flat on my face. I groaned. Charlie helped me up and insisted that he push the trolley back to the cruiser.

After we loaded the suitcases and my hand baggage, Charlie started the car. He drove a little slow, I admit, but I was fine with that. I wasn't the one for fast driving.

"So Bells, how is Renee?" Charlie asked me casually. It pained me to see that he had never gotten over her. I could see real concern behind the casualness.

"She's fine. So dad, I was thinking, I've been saving up to buy a car. Not a new one, of course, but maybe… a second hand car? I need something to get around in." I peeked over at him. He was concentrating on the road.

"Well, here's the thing," he started. "I already bought you a truck. It's really good for you." I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. _He_ bought me a _truck_?

"A truck?" I asked, echoing my thoughts. He nodded earnestly.

"I bought it off my friend, Billy Black. You remember Billy, don't you?" I racked my memory, searching for some recollection of a Billy Black. I shook my head finally. "Aw, come on. Don't tell me you don't remember Billy. Remember, you used to play with his daughters Rachel and Rebecca sometimes? And their younger brother Jacob was just a kid back then. He's gotten pretty tall now, though." I looked skeptically at him. The rest of the car ride home passed in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable, though. Charlie and I were the kind of people who didn't feel the need to fill the silence. As we neared the outer limits of Forks, I recognized some familiar houses, but some were new.

Charlie pulled up into the driveway of our house and I felt a pang of some unrecognizable emotion as I looked up at the house. It looked exactly the same as I remembered it. I inhaled the fresh, woodsy scent of the damp trees. It was drizzling slightly, not enough to soak me, but enough to make me feel fresh after the long journey. I helped Charlie unload my suitcases and dragged them up the stairs. I opened the door to my room.

It looked similar to how it had been seven years ago. The walls were the same color, but now there was a twin size bed in one corner and a desk with a computer in another. A black phone sat next to the computer. I evaluated the cupboard space and decided it was enough for me, seeing as I had only brought two suitcases. I plopped down onto the bed, my feet aching. It felt good to be back home.

I trudged downstairs so that maybe I could get something to eat, and to my dismay, found absolutely nothing in the cupboard. I would have to get some groceries later, I decided. I found Charlie sprawled on the sofa in the living room, watching TV. I sat down next to him.

"Hey dad, I think you should give kitchen duty to me. I used to cook all the time in Phoenix. In fact, I was planning on heading over to the grocery shop later to get some vegetables and snacks." I wasn't about to live off take-out for the time I was in Forks.

"That sounds good." He commented. "But why don't we just order pizza for tonight? I'm sure you're tired. It's been a long day." I hadn't felt it, but suddenly I realized just how tired I was. My shoulders were sore and my back was stiff from in sitting in the plane all day. I wandered into the kitchen and found the telephone directory. Seating myself on the stool, I dialed the number of the nearest pizza place and ordered a medium cheese pizza.

About half an hour later, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" I shouted over the loud TV. I skipped to the door, energized by the thought of hot, pizza. I flung the door open. A brown-haired teenage boy who looked about my age or a few years older stood in a uniform, carrying a box. I read his nametag. Kyle. He smiled widely, showing off his braces. Probably trying to impress me, I thought. Ugh, I shuddered inwardly. "Um, just a second." I apologized, realizing that I didn't bring money for him. After I got some change from Charlie and gave it to him, he gave me another sickly smile, and I closed the door on him.

I carried the pizza box to the living room, where Charlie was still watching TV. "Here." I offered him the box after I took a slice. "Um, dad, I wanted to know something." I started. He looked at me, chewing. "Do the Cullens and Hales still live here? I was really hoping to see Alice and Rose again. I mean, it would be awesome if they went to Forks High, too." Charlie had tensed up a little, probably remembering how much pain it had caused me to leave. But then he grinned.

"You bet they are. And all the kids go to Forks High, too. You'll probably see them on your first day." I suddenly felt much lighter, as though a huge burden had been lifted off my shoulders. For the rest of dinner, we just exchanged random comments. Then I announced that I was going to get some sleep before school tomorrow.

So I made my way upstairs and had a nice, long, hot water shower, relaxing my tired muscles. I put on my old sweatpants and a t-shirt. "Goodnight, dad!" I yelled from upstairs. After I heard Charlie's faint goodnight, I snuggled under the warn blanket and sunk into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, I woke up with a start when the alarm went off. Then I sighed. My first day of school. I got ready quickly, not sure of what I should wear. I didn't really care what I wore, but first impressions made a difference, so I didn't want to look too shabby. So I settled for a pair of jeans and a pale blue, long-sleeved shirt. Charlie had already left, but there was a note on the kitchen table.

_Bella,_

_Sorry I'm not there for your first day. The school is just off the main highway. Good luck._

_Dad_

I glanced at my watch. Realising that I was running late, I grabbed an apple and took a swig of milk from the carton. Then, I pulled on a black jacket and made my way out the door, anticipating Forks High School.

--

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	7. Chapter 6

**Sorry If this is too short a chapter, and I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry I haven't been able to update sooner. I had so much going on with school and tests and stuff. So here is the next chapter. Please read and review it. Reviews make my day.**

**Chapter 6**

The truck which Charlie bought me was surprisingly, very reliable. It was sturdy, just what was right for me. I turned the key in the ignition, and was startled when it roared to life. Smiling to myself, I pulled out of the driveway and drove to the main highway, looking for the turning to Forks High. When I saw the exit, I sharply inhaled. Well, this was it.

Forks High School was nothing at all like I'd imagined. I had thought that since it was the main high school around here, it would look like one. But it was like little houses scattered in the area allotted to the school. I frowned. It didn't _look_ like a high school to me. But I decided to let it go for now, so I parked the truck and headed over to the office.

It was a small, cozy room, with bright lighting. And, as if there weren't already enough plants outside, there were more than a dozen potted plants inside, too. I walked to the main desk. Mrs. Cope, it read. "Umm, excuse me?" I tried to attract her attention. She looked up at me, clearly bored.

"Yes, dear? What can I do for you?" I could hear the forced interest in her voice. I don't need her sympathy, I thought dryly.

"My name is Isabella Swan. I'm new here and today's my first day. I was just wondering if I could get a schedule." Her eyes lit up at the sound of my name. Apparently, she had been expecting me. At least she had one piece of information to talk about today, I thought, stifling a laugh. She took out a brown folder and gave me a white sheet with a list of the teachers, classes and building numbers.

"Please get this signed by each one of your teachers and bring it back at the end of the day," she informed me. I thanked her stiffly and proceeded towards my first class. English. It happened to be my favorite subject, so I walked briskly to the first building. It was a slight relief to get inside, and out of the rain. I didn't mind the rain, but being soaking wet didn't exactly help my train of thought. And after you dried, there was a wet smell which stuck on you. I didn't need people to think I smelled bad.

Mr. Mason (that was my English teacher's name) handed out a reading list. I skimmed through it. I had already read most of the books on the list and a few of them were even my favorites. This would be easy enough. I tuned out most of what Mr. Mason said. Not intentionally, but my mind started to wander to thoughts of Alice and Rose. I wondered if I would recognize them. I was interrupted by the bell, an irritating buzzing sound.

"Hi. You must be Isabella Swan. I'm Eric." A greasy-haired boy with acne held out his hand. I forced a smile.

"It's Bella." I corrected. No need to add that I didn't want to touch him. I stuffed my books into my bag and slung it over my shoulder.

"Do you need help to find your next class?" Eric hopefully asked me. Over helpful, geeky, chess club boy, I thought, resentfully. Why couldn't he just leave me alone?

"I'm fine. I have a map." I waved my map of the school in his face. "Besides, I wouldn't want to cause you any trouble. Thank you, anyway." I turned abruptly on my heel, leaving a very disappointed-looking Eric. My next class was Government with a teacher named Mr. Jefferson. I was just outside the door of building six, when I noticed an extremely beautiful bronze-haired boy, sitting inside. He had piercing green eyes, and was holding hands and talking to a blonde girl. I couldn't take my eyes off him. He was just so perfect and flawless. I felt like I was walking in slow motion, staring at him. All of a sudden I walked into long glass window right next to the door. Ouch. I held my hand on my head, trying to reduce the throbbing pain which was starting. "Ow." I groaned. What a dramatic entrance.

"Do we have a problem here?" I looked up to see a tall teacher towering over me, to realize that I was still sitting on the ground. I stood up quickly, and brushed off any dirt which might have been there.

"No." I half-squeaked, causing almost half the class to turn and stare at me. I flushed a deep red. The bronze-haired boy met my gaze, which caused me to become more embarrassed. There was something vaguely familiar about him. I felt like I had seen him before, somewhere. He held my gaze for just a fraction more than a second, before looking away. I got my slip signed by Mr. Jefferson and shrank into an empty seat, hoping to disappear. I tried to pay attention, but the bronze-haired boy was sitting directly in front of me, which was very distracting. He kept half-heartedly smiling at the blonde girl. That, for some odd reason, made me angry. I reasoned that it was because it was disturbing the class. So I tried with utmost determination to pay attention to what the teacher was saying. I was pleased when the bell rang, because it meant that I didn't have to stare into the back of his head any longer.

The rest of the morning passed by in a blur. There was a very short girl with extremely curly, brown hair who had both Trigonometry and Spanish with me. I walked with her to the lunch room. I could instantly tell that she was the biggest gossip, because of all the information she was giving me. As soon as we entered the lunch room, a pale, short girl with short, black hair ran up to me and hugged me. I stood there stunned and watched as a tall, beautiful blonde girl joined us.

"OH MY GOD! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S YOU, BELLA!" The pixie-like girl finally released me and I looked into her face. It didn't take me very long to recognize her.

"A-Alice?" I stuttered. She squealed. I looked over at the smiling blonde girl. "Rose?"

I was surprised at how much they had both changed. So all I could do was just stand there and stare at them. Alice rolled her eyes at Rose. She smiled a little.

"I swear, Bella, you're never going to change." Rose took my hand and started to pull me towards what I could only assume was their table. A cough from behind us made her stop. We both turned. The girl with curly, brown hair crossed her arms.

"I thought you were going to sit with us, Bella." She motioned towards a table full of people, all looking curiously at us. Alice narrowed her eyes.

"Sorry, Jessica," she sneered, "but Bella will be sitting with us today. And every single day after today. If you want to." She added. And with that she dragged me to the table. For such a tiny person, she had immense strength.

"What was that, Alice?" I exclaimed.

"Sorry, Bella, but we aren't on very good terms with Jessica and her friends," she sniffed. I gave her a huge hug. It was such a huge relief to get away from all that gossip. She looked surprised, but pleased. "So," she started. "Tell us everything. I couldn't believe that it was you when people told us about the 'new girl'. It's been seven years! What's going on in your life now?" I was amused by her little rant, but couldn't say that I was disappointed. I was glad that she had missed me. I started telling Alice and Rose what had happened after I left Alice's house that morning, about the divorce, and Phoenix. Rose and Alice both sympathized with me.

"Hey!" A loud voice boomed out. "Who are you and why are you sitting at our table?" I turned around and saw a large boy standing right behind me. He was looking at me suspiciously. He was flanked by a tall, lanky blonde haired boy. My face broke out into a smile. Of course, I could only guess who it was. They both looked at me as if I were an idiot, grinning madly at them. Rose laughed happily.

"Guess who?" I asked them. They both just stared at me. I saw recognition flicker in Jasper's eyes after a moment and he smiled warmly at me. Emmett was a little slow on the uptake. Jasper nudged him and whispered something in his ear. Emmett flushed a little but he beamed at me.

"Bella!" he pulled me into a tight hug.

"If you ever do that again, I'll… I'll…" I pulled away and poked his forehead twice, lightly. He chuckled. "Good boy." I patted his head.

"Good times, good times." Jasper said. **(A/N: LOL snevans75) **We sat at the table, eating, laughing and just talking about stuff. I didn't notice when someone came up behind me and cleared their throat loudly. Alice and Rose froze and Emmett laughed uncomfortably. Jasper looked a little irritated.  
"Excuse me," a velvety voice just behind me made me turn around. I found myself staring at the bronze-haired boy from Government class. I was lost in his piercing green eyes. He narrowed his eyes at me which brought me back to reality. My eyes widened as I realized who he was. The blonde girl who kept flirting with him in Government clung to his arm, glaring at me.

"Hi Edward. Hello Tanya." Alice added frostily. I got the impression that none of them really liked Tanya.

"E-Edward?" I stuttered. He turned his gaze to me. He looked at me, confused slightly.

"Sorry, do I know you?" He asked politely. Tanya rolled her eyes.

"Well, you should. At least, I hope you do." I said. He scrutinized my face for a minute. He gasped.

"Bella? Isabella Swan?" he breathed. Tanya narrowed her eyes and frowned. Apparently, she didn't like the fact that Edward knew me. "You look so different. I mean… Why did you move back to Forks? I thought you were gone forever." My smile faded. This hurt. It sounded like he didn't want me here. Sure, he didn't like me when we were kids. But, I thought that he would've gotten over it. Tanya smirked. Clearly, she was enjoying herself.

"_Edward_," I started, emphasizing his name. "Haven't you learned to share yet? Forks isn't only yours. Anyone can like it here." He glowered at me, the polite expression leaving his face.

"You know what? I wish that you didn't come back. Just stay away from me." With one last glare in my direction and an apologetic look at Alice, Emmett, Jasper and Rose, he and Tanya left the cafeteria. I felt my eyes water. It was so unfair.

"Why does he do this to me?" My voice was thick with tears that threatened to spill over. Jasper put one comforting arm over my shoulder.

"It's not your fault. Though I don't know what's wrong with him. He's never done this before." Oh great. So he hasn't gotten over hating me. The bell rang.

"So Bella," Emmett asked casually. "What's your next class?" I pulled my timetable out of me pocket and read it out.

"Umm, I have… Biology." Rose's face turned to stone. "What?" I looked around at everyone. Their faces were impassive.

"Bella. That's Edward's next class, too." Alice said. I groaned. We all got up. "Come on, I'll drop you off at your classroom. Mine is next-door to yours." I trudged along beside Alice, dreading the next hour. We reached the classroom just as the teacher came. "Um, excuse me? Mr. Banner? This is Bella Swan. She's new here. She has Biology now."

Mr. Banner signed my slip and I followed him inside.

"Everyone, I'd like your attention for a moment." I blushed. "This is our new student, Bella Swan. I'd like you all to make her comfortable. Now, Ms. Swan, if you could go and sit over there, I'd like to start class." My eyes followed his finger to the desk. I froze. The seat which he had directed me to was right next to… Edward. I sighed and started towards the desk. It seemed like an eternity by the time I got there. Maybe it was because time passed extremely slowly when Edward was there. I finally reached the desk and hesitantly sat down.

"Now, today we are going to examine the different stages of mitosis with an onion root tip. I'd like you to partner up with the person sitting next to you." Mr. Banner looked pleased with himself. I felt like punching him. I turned to face Edward who was sitting very still, staring ahead of him. I knew what I was going to do. It couldn't stay mad at anyone for long. Especially if it was over something as petty as this.

"Um, Edward?" I saw him turn fractionally to face me. I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry." He looked at me, shocked.

I found myself staring into his eyes again and didn't realize that I wasn't breathing until he chuckled softly and said, "Breathe, Bella." I blushed and looked down. "I'm sorry, too." He admitted. "So… friends?" I smiled.

"Friends." I agreed and nodded my head. Edward smiled brilliantly at me, taking me off guard. He was so beautiful. Wait. Did I just call him beautiful? We were just friends, right? I peeked at him through the corner of my eye and saw him looking at Tanya who was smiling and waving at him. I felt a pang of something in my heart. Even if I had tried to identify the feeling, I probably wouldn't have realized that it was jealousy. Nor would I have realized that I was starting to like Edward.

**A/N: Alright, you all know what to do. Send me a little review telling me whether you liked it or not !!**


	8. Chapter 7

**hey guys, I'm soooooooooo X infinity sorry. i have been loaded with tests and exams for almost a month or more, so really haven't had time to update. But, the good news is that my exams got over yesterday and I have 2 weeks of holidays. YAY !! Anyway, please read and review !!**

**Chapter 7**

At the end of the day…

I was relieved when the bell rang, signalling that my last class, Gym, was over. I wasn't exactly the most graceful person. Today we played badminton in Gym. Not my sport. My partner, Mike, seemed to realise my clumsiness, and took almost all the shots. Even then, I ended up whacking him in the head a few times. Secretly, I was a bit pleased. He had been pestering me so much to be his partner, that I took pity on him and agreed. As I walked out of the school, I groaned. It had started raining again. I pulled my hood up and half-ran to my truck. Upon reaching it, I realised that I didn't have the keys out and it took me a little while to dig through my bag, searching for it. Finally, I found the key and got into my truck and closed the door. It was a bit chilly so I turned on the heater. I frowned as I recalled what had happened in Biology class.

_Flashback of Biology class__:_

"_Friends." I agreed and nodded my head. Edward smiled brilliantly at me, taking me off guard. He was so beautiful. Wait. Did I just call him beautiful? We were just friends, right? I peeked at him through the corner of my eye and saw him looking at Tanya who was smiling and waving at him. I felt a pang of something in my heart. Even if I had tried to identify the feeling, I probably wouldn't have realized that it was jealousy. Nor would I have realized that I was starting to like Edward._

"_What brought on the sudden apology?" Edward asked, amused. Leave it to him to ruin the atmosphere._

"_Well," I narrowed my eyes, "I don't like… Actually no, I CAN'T hold grudges against anyone. No matter how hard I try." He turned to the front of the board, smiling slightly. _

_"Now everyone, with your partners, I want you to identify the stages of mitosis which have been given to you. I'll be passing out the microscopes and slides in just a minute." Mr. Banner announced. A few minutes later, Edward and I were given a microscope and four slides._

"_Ladies first?" Edward asked me, smiling crookedly. I just stared into his eyes. He looked at me as if I were crazy. "Or I could go first, I you want-"_

"_No, no." I blushed a deep red. I examined the slide for less than a minutes and confidently said "Prophase." He looked doubtfully at me and leaned down to look at it. I knew I was right, I was just waiting for him to acknowledge it. He nodded at me and bent over to observe the next slide._

_We were the first pair to finish the exercise. Edward turned in his chair so that he was facing me. I found myself lost in his emerald green eyes again, snapping out of my reverie when I realized that he was talking to me. I seemed to be doing that a lot. He probably thought I was and imbecile, or something._

"_Edward," I started. "Who's the girl over there with the strawberry blonde hair?" He turned his gaze in the direction which I pointed in. He stiffened. The girl saw him looking at her and smiled at him. Edward cringed a little, and forced a smile back at her. She seemed content and turned back to her partner to finish the experiment. "Edward?" I loved saying his name. It had a poetic sort of ring to it. I smiled slightly._

"_Uh, who?" He looked back at me, distracted. _

"_That girl over there, with the strawberry blonde hair." _

"_Oh. She's Tanya…" he said._

"_Tanya…" I trailed, pressing for more details. It didn't seem like she was just any girl. Maybe an ex-girlfriend, if he was so uncomfortable to talk about her?_

"_Tanya…my girlfriend." He said, staring me straight in the eye. I felt the smile slide off my face. His girlfriend? As in, a current girlfriend? I didn't know why, but it bothered me when he used Tanya and girlfriend in the same sentence. I looked away, and then forced myself to smile brightly at him._

"_She's very pretty." I tried. He scrutinized my reaction and muttered something under his breath. I couldn't quite catch what he said, but it didn't matter. I faced the whiteboard again and felt myself go numb. _

_Why was I so annoyed by this? It's a free country, Edward is free to date anyone he wanted. And anyway, Edward and I just became friends. There is nothing, I repeat, NOTHING, between Edward and me. _

_As soon as the bell rang, I stood up fluidly, and rushed out the door, somehow managing not to trip._

A tap on my window startled me. I saw Alice impatiently knocking on the glass, waiting for me to roll down my window. I laughed.

"What happened to you? You looked like you were in a another world, or something!" I rolled my eyes, not wanting to betray my feelings.

"Um, Alice?" I started casually. "You didn't tell me that Edward was dating Tanya. How long have they been going out?" I hoped she wouldn't see through my façade. That was the last thing I needed, especially from Alice.

She looked at me strangely. "Well, ever since Tanya and her family moved here from Alaska a few months ago, Tanya had been constantly asking Edward out. One day, he caved in when she asked him to the homecoming dance." I could sense, just by listening to her speak about Tanya, that she didn't like her very much nor did she approve Edward's choice. "It's been about 2 months since then. But lately, Edward seems to be avoiding her. I don't know if it's just me, or whether Edward has finally figured out the she's not right for him." She laughed without humor.

Maybe Edward wasn't really into Tanya, then. I mean, judging by his behavior today towards her, he just didn't seem into her.

"Why?" she asked me, curious. I looked down, embarrassed. I could feel her gaze on me.

"It's nothing." I sighed. "Edward told me today in Biology about her and from the way he spoke about her, I felt a little embarrassed to ask him for more details. And the fact that he didn't really seem attracted to her. Anyway, I'd better get going. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Wait, just give me your phone number," Alice replied, swiftly pulling out a silver mobile phone. She saved it into her contacts, and cheerfully waved me off.

The whole way home, I was thinking about what Edward had said to me as opposed to what Alice told me. Could it be possible that he didn't like Tanya? As far as I could tell, she was very beautiful, especially compared to me. I didn't stand a chance against her.

It started to rain before I reached home. Groaning to myself, I pulled up my hood again, and ran inside. After I took a shower, and was warm and dry, I quickly made some dinner for Charlie and myself. I heard the door open, indicating that Charlie was home.

"Hey dad!" I called out. Charlie lumbered into the kitchen and hung around for a while. Sensing that he would be no help, he apologetically asked if it was alright if he watched TV to which I just smiled and agreed. When we both were finished eating, I hurried upstairs to finish off some homework.

As I lay in bed that night, I couldn't help but think about the day's events again. What was wrong with me? Why was I so hung up on Edward? He was dating someone else, I reminded myself. Anyone could see that he didn't like Tanya, though. Ugh. I pulled the covers over my head and began to visualize my favorite play, Romeo and Juliet. It became too hot and stuffy under there, though, so I pushed off the covers. Thinking logically, I managed to convince myself that Edward was just a friend and I also persuaded myself to think of him ONLY as a friend. I can do that, I reasoned with myself.

I didn't usually move around a lot at night, but that night I tossed and turned, dreaming of my days in Forks yet to come.

**OK, here's the thing. I want to know your opinions on my story, and maybe u guys could tell me what you think should happen in the forthcoming chapters. I don't want it to be very short, but the story shouldn't drag on either. So tell me your suggestions and make my day by reviewing!!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Hey guys... Sorry I haven't updated in a long time, but I decided just to put this up, even if it is a bit short. So hope you guys like it !!**

**Chapter 8**

I woke up the next morning to bright sunlight shining straight on my face. Ugh. Hadn't I closed the curtains last night? It was probably Charlie's way of waking me up or something. I turned my head and looked at the clock on my nightstand. I nearly jumped out of bed when I realized the time. I was getting late, so I took a much shorter shower than I usually did, and ate and apple. I was just locking the door, when I heard a horn from behind me.

I spun around, and found myself looking at a shiny, silver Volvo, and with none other than Edward driving it, Tanya sitting in the passenger seat next to him. He waved at me from inside and I half-heartedly waved back. I walked slowly to the car, and he rolled down the window.

"Do you need a ride?" he asked me. I didn't miss that Tanya looked rather impatient.

"I'm quite capable of driving myself, thanks." I muttered. He smirked.

"Well, if you think that you're going to make it to school on time in that…truck…well, let's just say we don't share the same opinion. Why don't you just come with me for today?" Edward offered. I didn't really want to ride with him. Especially since Tanya was there, too. I felt a stab of sadness each time I looked at her. She was so beautiful.

"Come on, Bella. Just ride with us for today." Tanya told me. It was the first time I had heard her speak. She had a melodious voice, the kind that singers had. Great, so she had a nice voice, too. I finally agreed, and slid into the backseat.

"So Bella," Tanya said, conversationally, "How do you like Forks so far?" She turned around so that she could look at me. I felt a bit intimidated by her gaze, but replied anyway.

"To be honest, I love it here." I answered sincerely. "I've always loved it. I'm really glad I came back." I couldn't help but glance at the rearview mirror. Edward was staring at me, looking frustrated. I tried to decipher his expression, but gave up and settled for looking out the window. It was only then that I realized how fast we were going. At this rate, we would reach school in less than 5 minutes. That was good, in my opinion. The silence was uncomfortable, and I felt awkward sitting in the backseat, out of place. I couldn't help but glance up at the rearview mirror ever few seconds and every time, I found Edward looking at me with that same frustrated expression. I busied myself by looking out the window, occasionally replying when Tanya asked me a question.

"Bella," Tanya started as Edward parked the car, "We're all planning to go out for a movie tonight. You should come." I just stared at her.

"Umm….." I stuttered. I didn't think it was such a good idea. I would be the odd one out. Edward tilted his head to the side and looked questioningly at me.

"Come on, Bella, you should come." Edward persuaded. I sighed.

"I'll have to think about it." I muttered finally. Tanya flashed a smile at me. She took her bag out of Edward's car.

"Edward, let's go. We're going to be late." She dragged him alongside her. Edward pulled his hand out of her grip.

"You go ahead, Tanya" he said. "I just need to do something." She agreed, and walked off. I saw her meet up with Jessica and Lauren and they went into the school. I sighed again. Could this day be any worse?

"Bella?" a velvety voice from behind me made me jump. I turned around to see Edward, messing up his already messy bronze hair, a troubled look in his eyes. I looked down at my feet.

"What do you want, Edward?" I asked, allowing some acid to seep into my voice. I looked up to see hurt written across his face. I instantly felt guilty. Maybe he just wanted to talk to me.

"Never mind, it's nothing." He said softly and turned away. I reached out and grabbed his arm.

"No, I'm sorry. Tell me." I looked down again and waited for him to speak.

"I'm sorry, Bella." I looked up at him in confusion.

"What?" This was way off track. Why was he apologizing to me?

"I'm sorry." He repeated.

"For what?" I asked again. A slight smile tugged at his mouth.

"Well, you see, that day in Biology class, when you apologized to me, I felt like I should apologize, too, for whatever happened when we were kids. I was so mean to you. I never meant for it to be that way. I hope you'll forgive me."

"Edward," I laughed. "I got over you so long ago, I …" I trailed off, and clapped my hand over my mouth. No, no, no. This cannot be happening. I just admitted to Edward that I used to like him. I couldn't bring myself to face him. So I ran. I turned around and ran into the school. I ran until I reached my locker. I took a deep breath. Today was going to be a long day.

Actually the day went along jut fine until Biology. I got to the lab a little earlier than usual and sat in my place. I just stared at my notebook, not really noticing when everyone came in. The chair next to me was yanked back with such force, that I had to look up. Edward looked into my eyes with such an intensity that I looked away again. I forced myself not to look at him for the rest of the period, and when the bell rang, I slid swiftly out of my seat and out the door.

Gym was a nightmare. Mike was my partner again, and though he tried his best to take all the shots, I had to hit a few, and I ended up whacking him a few times. The teacher wasn't very happy and requested me to sit on the sideline for today. After gym, I saw Mike walk towards me.

"You know, it didn't hurt very much." He offered. I raised my eyebrows. "OK, it did a little, but hey, who's complaining. I would gladly be whacked by you any time of the day." Great, so now he was flirting with me. Well there was no reason for me to hate him, I guess. He was really friendly and nice. And anyway, I was trying to forget about Edward, right? So why can't I try to be friendly with other people?

"I'm really sorry, Mike. I didn't mean to hit you." I said. I smiled at him. Mike grinned widely.

"Hey Bella, I was umm… wouldyouwanttocomeforamoveonsaturday?" I stared blankly at him.

"What? Sorry I didn't catch that." I said. His face grew red. I bit my lip. I hoped this wasn't going to be too bad.

"Umm, do you think you might want to watch a movie with me on Saturday? As friends," he added as an afterthought. I saw Edward walking towards me. Suddenly I had an idea.

"I would _love_ to come for a movie this Saturday, Mike." I said loudly, smiling at him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward. His face was expressionless, and when Tanya came up to him, he pulled her into a tight hug. I felt my heart rip apart. I took a deep breath and made a decision that I would never think of Edward as more than a friend ever again. My heart would be confetti by the end of the week. So I started up a conversation with Mike and we walked out of the school together and to my car. I could see the looks of disapproval on Alice and Rose's faces. It made me guilty for a minute, but then I felt angry. Why was everyone allowed to do anything they wanted but I was supposed to be all goody-goody?

I realized suddenly that I didn't have my truck and that I was supposed to ride with Edward and Tanya.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Mike." I looked up at him from under my eyelashes. He looked stunned for a minute, but then smiled at me again. "Oh wait, I don't have your phone number." He gave it to me, and promised me would pick me up at seven o'clock tomorrow evening. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. He was kind of cute, too.

I skipped over to Edward's car, thinking about tomorrow night.

"So," Tanya said "Have you decided whether you're coming with us tonight?" I threw my bag into the trunk of Edward's car.

"Sure," I said easily. "What movie are we going to see?" Alice sauntered over to the car.

"Hey guys," she said. "Just wanted to let you know that me, Rose, Emmett and Jasper are going in Rosalie's BMW. We'll meet you there."

I slid into the backseat. Edward got into the driver's seat. It was silent the whole way there. I didn't want to be the one to break the ice. I could practically taste the tension in the atmosphere. Tanya looked a little angry. When we reached, Alice and the others were already there. Tanya got out and slammed the door. I sighed and got out, closing the door behind me.

"Bella?" said a voice softly behind me. I looked around to see Edward a couple of feet away. He moved closer to me.

"What, Edward?" The words came out a little more icily than I had intended. He looked surprised.

"Bella, what did I do? Why are you angry with me? Why did you run away from me earlier?" He pleaded. I couldn't handle this.

"It's nothing, Edward. We should go. The others are probably waiting for us." I turned away and started walking towards the theatre. He caught up easily and walked beside me.

"So, I heard that you and Mike are going out tomorrow night." He said.

"Yes we are…so what?" I asked defensively. I could see everyone standing near the entrance.

"Nothing. I just wanted to tell you that I'm happy for you. Mike is a nice guy." He smiled at me.

"Edward," I hesitated. He looked at me. "About before…"

"Don't worry about it. Anyway, to tell you the truth…" He looked guilty. I narrowed my eyes at him. "I wasn't really paying attention to you," he admitted. I widened my eyes at him. Did he just say what I thought he said?

"Well we'd better get inside or we'll miss the beginning of the movie," I said frostily. I turned sharply on my heel, leaving Edward standing there.

I didn't look back as I went inside.

**I want whoever reads this to review cause then I know what kind of reactions you guys have to my story so far. Anyway review !!**


	10. Chapter 9

**Hey guys here's the next chapter. Sorry it isn't too long, but I thought I Should update it anyway. Enjoy !!**

**Chapter 9**

EPOV

Jeez, what was wrong with me? I just told Bella right to her face that I hadn't been listening to her. No wonder she just left so abruptly. But I knew that sooner or later, she would forgive me. That's the way she is. Bella's such a good friend.

I made my way into the theatre with seconds to spare and sat down in the aisle seat, next to Tanya. She looped her arm around mine and rested her head against my shoulder.

But somehow, I just didn't feel the spark which I had felt when I first started going out with her. I didn't feel anything out of the ordinary when we were touching.

I was so lost in thought, thinking about the past, the present and what I should do with my newfound realization, I didn't even notice when the movie finished.

"Are you guys ready to go?" Alice asked somberly. It had been a sad movie, apparently, from the expressions on the girls' faces. I nodded once, briskly, and got up. Bella said that she was going to ride with the others instead, which I completely understood. I needed to apologize to her. But I would do it tomorrow. She got into the backseat of the car and then they left.

"What's wrong, Edward?" Tanya asked softly. "You've been silent all night."

"It's nothing," I replied automatically, though I knew I would have to break the news to her soon. We both got into my car, and I turned on the radio. The music played softly in the background as I drove to Tanya's house. The whole way there, I was wondering how to break the news to Tanya and what her reaction. Once we reached there, I got out and went around to the other side of the car and opened the door for Tanya. She smiled at me. I felt awful. It was going to be extremely hard to break Tanya's heart. I knew she liked me a lot, but there was no point to this relationship, when I didn't feel the same way.

I walked her up to her doorstep and turned to face her.

"Wait, Tanya, before you leave, I need to tell you something." I said. She looked confused, but didn't say anything. "This is really hard to say, but it's necessary. Tanya," I continued. "My feelings for you have… changed. I mean, -and don't take this personally- but there's just no spark anymore. I think we should just be friends from now on." I looked at her, awaiting her reaction.

"I guess… I knew this was coming." She said dejectedly. "I don't hate you for this Edward. I really did like you a lot. I'm just sorry that it couldn't work out."

"Me too." I softly muttered. I pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry." I let go of her and kissed her gently on her forehead. Tanya's eyes were closed. When she opened them, they were full of tears.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow in school?" She mumbled. I could tell that she was trying her best not to cry in front of me.

"You got it." I assured her. "Tanya." I put my hands on her shoulders. She looked up at me. "Just remember that if you ever need anything, I'll be there for you ok? This doesn't change that. We're still friends, and you can count on me." She nodded.

"Bye." I whispered. Then, turning away, I walked up to my Volvo. I felt extremely guilty. But it was the right thing to do. I didn't bother turning on the radio on the way home. I felt worse than I thought I would. My vision blurred very slightly and it took me a few seconds to realize that I had tears in my eyes. I blinked them away as I reached home.

I parked my Volvo in the garage and walked inside.

"Edward!" Alice called. I cringed. "What took you so long?" I took a deep breath and turned to face her.

"I dropped off Tanya at her house." I replied coolly. "Why? Were you waiting for me?"

Alice just shook her head. "Anyway, I should probably get to sleep. I'm really tired."

I decided to call it a night, too. But once I got up to my room and into bed, I could fall asleep. I tossed and turned for a long time before I finally drifted to sleep.

~~~------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~~~~

The next day…

BPOV:

Last night turned out to be a fiasco. I woke up at around 9:45 am and squinted against the bright sunlight. I would have to ask Charlie not to open my curtains. At least not on holidays. I suddenly remembered that I had a date with Mike tonight, and I leapt out of bed. I wandered downstairs to the kitchen and found a note from Charlie.

_Bells,_

_Sorry I left so early. Our stock of fish was dangerously low. See you sometime in the afternoon._

_Love, Dad_

I checked the answering machine. There was one message from Mike and one from Alice. Alice wanted to know whether I needed help getting ready tonight, and Mike called to inform me that he would pick me up at 7.

I called Alice. The phone rang three of four times, and then someone answered.

"Hello?" My heart raced. It was Edward.

"Uhh…h-hi… this is Bella… Can I talk to Alice?" I stuttered. He was silent for a moment.

"You called to speak to Alice?" His voice was monotonous. I frowned. Was something wrong?

"Is something wrong, Edward?" I asked. I heard him sigh into the phone.

"No. Hold on, I'll call her." I heard him shout Alice's name away from the phone. "So, what are your plans for today?" He asked conversationally. I cleared my throat.

"Oh, nothing much. But I do have a date tonight with Mike. I wanted Alice to come over and help me get ready."

"Oh here's Alice," He cut me off. I heard him passing the phone to her.

"Bella!" she exclaimed. "What's new?"

"Hey Alice," I was relieved. Talking to Edward was stressful. Especially after last night. And to top that off, I couldn't believe that he didn't have the decency to apologize. "I was wondering if you could stop by later and help me get ready for my date."

"Sure," she agreed. I felt something nagging me and the back of my mind.

"Alice…" I started, but then chickened out. "What time will you be over?"

"Around 5," she said. "That's not what you were originally going to ask me, was it?"

"Um, no." I muttered. "Actually I wanted to ask you why Edward is disturbed. I mean, it seemed like it to me, so I was just wondering whether something happened."

"Oh, don't you know?" Her tone was that of surprise. "He and Tanya broke up last night." I almost dropped the receiver.

"What?" I screeched.

"I know, it was definitely weird. Last night, I guessed something was up, but I decided to wait till this morning to ask him about it. He said something about his feelings for her having changed."

"Wow," I was awed. I just didn't have words to describe what I was feeling.

"So I'll drop by around 5, ok?" Alice's voice brought me back to reality.

"Ya, see you then. Bye, Alice." I hung up the phone. The rest of the day passed in tidying up the house and finishing my homework. At around 3:00, Charlie came home.

"So what plans do you have for tonight, Bells?" He asked absentmindedly, hanging up his coat.

"Well, I kind of have a date for tonight." I said. He whipped around.

"A date?" he asked. I smiled weakly. I sat on the couch and watched TV with him for a while. The doorbell rang.

"I'll get it. It must be Alice." I raced to the door and sure enough, it was her. "Hi Alice. Right on time." She smiled energetically. A large black bag was slung over her shoulder. It was probably all the make up she intended on using on me.

"Alright. Let's get to work." I closed the door behind her with a sigh and followed her upstairs to my bedroom.

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	11. Chapter 10

**YAY I was able to update quickly!! Hope you like the chapter !!**

**Chapter 10**

BPOV

"Thanks for helping me, Alice" I offered with a smile. She grinned back at me. It was easy with Alice. With Edward, though, it was a whole different story. I was amazed that even though they were siblings, they were so different. "So while we're doing this, why don't you tell me why Edward and Tanya broke up?"

She eyed me suspiciously. I saw a mischievous glint in her eyes, "Why is it, Bella, that you always drag Edward's name into every conversation? Is he really that interesting?" I blushed.

"No…" I trailed off. "But I would like to know what happened." Alice sighed.

"To be honest, I don't know. It's been like this for a while now. You know, Edward has been distancing himself from Tanya. I don't understand, it's like he lost interest in her. I know I gave you the impression that I don't like Tanya that much, but she's a really nice person. I guess I was just jealous of her. She was getting more attention from Edward than I was. And you know how I feel about that." She pouted. I smiled a little. "It's been like this ever since you came to town." She was suddenly looking at me, scrutinising me. "Bella, can I ask you something?" Her tone turned curious.

"Anything," I answered.

"Do you… you know… still like Edward?" She asked hesitantly. I burst out laughing.

"Are you crazy?" I gasped between giggles. "You think I still like Edward? Why would you even think that? And plus, even if I did, why would I go out with Mike?"

"To distract your mind," she said simply. "Bella, I know it. I know you still like him. Then why don't you tell him?" I felt my eyes fill up with tears.

"What if he doesn't feel the same way about me?" I whispered.

"You know what? Just give it some time, I'm sure it'll all work out for the better," she assured me. The rest of the time, she did my make up and hair in silence.

The doorbell rang downstairs. "That must be Mike," I mumbled. God, I thought to myself, I'm going on a date and here I am, sulky and sad.

"Lighten up, Bella. Go have some fun!" Alice cheered. I smiled at her.

"Thanks, Alice." She smiled back at me, though it didn't touch her eyes. I skipped down the stairs and into the living room. Charlie and Mike were animatedly discussing some old football game. I rolled my eyes. Guys will be guys.

"Hi," I said to Mike. Relief washed over his features when he saw me.

"Bella," he smiled. "You look beautiful." I smiled, but I wasn't truly content. I knew right away that Mike wasn't my Mr Right. My heart was beating at its normal pace. I knew I would never be able to get over Edward. But I could try. Before I could walk out the door, Charlie grabbed my hand.

"Wait, just a minute, Bells," He said. I told Mike I would meet him outside in a minute.

"Yes, dad?" He looked nervous, as though he was unsure of what to say.

"Now, I don't have any problems with you dating this guy, Mike. But certain rules have to be maintained here. Don't stay out later than 12:00 and please don't do anything… anything that you would… regret… later." Aww, that was so sweet. I knew Charlie was really uncomfortable with expressing his feelings, so it must have been really hard for him to tell me all this.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine and if anything goes wrong, I will call you." I promised. Charlie smiled. His eyes crinkled at the corners.

"Have fun." He said.

"Bye, dad!" I called over my shoulder as I walked to Mike's car.

_Later that night…_

We had gone out for dinner at this cute diner, and it was surprisingly easy to talk to Mike. We decided to go for a walk. It was a dark alley, but I felt safe, seeing as Mike was on the football team and he was pretty strong. I didn't doubt his ability to protect me. But I started to feel uncomfortable so I slid my hand out of his.

"Bella?" he asked surprised. I looked at my feet while we walked.

"Sorry. I'm just not ready…" I tried to explain.

"Don't be sorry," he said softly. "Take as much time as you need." I felt myself blush. I guess I had been wrong about him. My first impression of him was that he was a clingy, self-centred jerk. But now, here as I walked with him, after having been with him the whole evening, I realized there was more to him than what I had first seen. I shouldn't have judged him so soon. We got into the car, and started back towards Forks.

"I hope you had a good time, Bella." Mike said while we were driving back.

"I had a great time," I corrected him with a laugh. "I was actually nervous, but now that seems irrelevant."

"Bella, can I ask you something?" Mike asked hesitantly. He glanced over at me quickly.

"Of course," I answered. "You already did." He smiled slightly.

"I guess I did." He was silent for a moment. "Will you be honest with me about something?" I nodded encouragingly. "Did you agree to come to dinner with me to make Edward Cullen jealous? Do you like him as more than a friend?"

"No way," I said slowly. "It might have seemed that way, but trust me. There's nothing between us." I looked down at my hands. _At least he doesn't feel that way_, I added to myself. We were silent the rest of the way home. He came to a stop outside my house.

"Wow," I teased. "You made it back with time to spare. Charlie won't kill you after all." He grinned.

"We should do this again. I really enjoyed myself." He told me.

"Sure," I said. I got out of the car and bid him goodnight. After I closed the door and went to the living room, I saw Charlie sprawled across the couch, snoring. I laughed to myself.

"Come on, dad, time to get up," I sang. His eyes opened fractionally. I somehow managed to drag him up to his room. I was pretty exhausted myself, so by the time I changed into my pyjamas, and got into bed, I couldn't prevent the drowsiness that spread through my body. Minutes later, I was sound asleep.

EPOV (Earlier that evening)

Alice just closed the door on her way in from Bella's house.

"Where were you?" I asked, irritated. Nowadays, I found myself annoyed by the slightest things, no matter how trivial they were. She gave me an exasperated look.

"Bella's house," She said. I raised my eyebrow. "I was helping her get ready for her date with Mike." I was on my feet in an instant.

"How could you let her go on a date with Mike of all people?" I yelled.

"Don't shout at me," Alice said indignantly. "She told you, too, remember? And I don't think she needs our approval, Edward. She's free to date anyone she wants. And besides, your intolerance for Mike is totally unjustified." I felt my blood boiling. God, what was happening to me? I voiced my thoughts. Alice's expression softened.

"It's ok. People break up every other day," She said soothingly.

"It's not that," I contradicted her. "I've been so much happier since I broke up with Tanya. But now, it's like, I 'm getting mad at everything, at everyone. This morning I got mad at mom for just waking me up. I'm having mood swings, and I – I – I don't know…" I buried my hands in my face. Alice told me that I should just be alone for a while, so she left me lying on the sofa. I was too lost in thoughts to realise when she left. She came back a few hours later.

"I think you just need to relax." Alice said. "How about going on a nice picnic with everyone tomorrow? We can go to the beach out by La Push." I immediately brightened at the idea.

"Sure," I agreed. "I'll call everyone." Sprinting over to the phone, I hesitated, and then dialled the number.

"Hello?" Bella's sleepy voice picked up on the fourth ring.

"Bella?" I cursed myself internally. Who else would it be?

"Yes?" Her voice was more awake now. "Edward?" I smiled wryly.

"How did you know?" I joked. Personally, I was glad that she recognized my voice so quickly.

"I just know your voice really well…" she trailed off. I smiled even more widely. "So," her voice brought me back to reality. "What's up?"

"Oh nothing," I said. "I was actually calling to find out whether you wanted to come with all of us for a picnic tomorrow." I crossed my fingers. Please say yes.

"I'd love to." She said sweetly. "Ok well, I gotta be honest with you. I'm really tired, Edward. So I'll talk to you tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok. Bye. Oh Bella, by the way, how was your date with Mike?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Oh, it was really nice." She said more brightly. I swallowed.

"Oh, that's good." My voice sounded distant. "So I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Good night, Edward." She murmured.

"Good night." I hung up the phone. Was I actually jealous? Of Mike? I called Jasper, knowing that he would tell Rosalie. I slowly sauntered up the stairs, a little disoriented. Why had Bella's words had such an impact on me? We were just friends, right? I got into bed, starting to feel dizzy with all the new emotions that I was too tired to comprehend.

**A/N: Well here you go. I updated the next chapter. Edward is suconciously starting to like Bella, but he doesn't realise it yet. Review please... I LOVE REVIEWS!!!**


	12. Chapter 11

**Hey !! Sorry I took so long to update!! It's going to be crazy for the next few weeks. Until Dec 15th, I have exams.. it's so annoying, but unfortunately, it's not in my control. So anyway, here's the next chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it ! Sorry if it's kind of short, but i thought i should update so that you people don't get mad at me. JK, lol. Anyway, hope you guys like it !!!**

**Chapter 11**

**BPOV**

I woke up early the next day, anticipating the trip to the beach. Edward's voice still rang in my ears. I felt guilty for exaggerating about my date, but it couldn't hurt, right? I mean, he didn't like me the way I liked him. I had a tough time deciding what to wear, but finally settled on a dark blue fitting t-shirt and slim fit capris. Charlie had left extra early in the morning for fishing. He assured me that he would only be back late afternoon and to take my time at the beach. The phone rang. I was upstairs, so I sprinted downstairs and skidded to a stop in front of it.

"Hello?" I asked breathlessly.

"Hey," Edward replied. My heart stuttered and then picked up pace again.

"Oh, hi. When are we leaving?"

"Well, are you ready?" he asked.

"I am, are you guys ready?" I was confused. Why was he asking me that? Shouldn't they get ready fist? After all, they were going to pick me up.

"Well, if you're already ready, I don't have to wait as long outside your house." Edward said smoothly. My eyes widened and I walked to the front door and opened it. Sure enough, Edward was leaning against his Volvo, phone pressed against his ear. When he saw me, he smiled and put his phone in his pocket.

"Bella," he called out. I smiled back at him.

"Hey," I answered. Just seeing him made my day. He walked up the driveway.

"So, are you ready?"

"Almost just give me a minute. Come on in." I invited.

"Wow, I never thought I would be in Bella Swan's house." He chuckled. "This _is_ the first time, by the way."

"I know." I laughed. "Ok, I'm ready." I locked the door, and tucked the key under the eave. Edward raised his eyebrow.

"Aren't you afraid of thieves?" he asked. I shook my head.

"In Forks… No way." I opened the passenger side and slid in. "How come you're ready so early?" I questioned.

"I kind of woke up early today. I couldn't sleep," he admitted, looking down. My stomach was filled with butterflies.

"So, are Alice and the rest of them going to meet us there?" I asked, to change the subject.

"Alice? Oh right. Of course, they're going to meet us there." He said distractedly.

"Edward," I said tentatively. He turned his head towards me. "I heard about you and Tanya. I'm sorry." He looked straight again.

Yes well, it's actually good that I broke up with her. I've never felt better. Don't be sorry." For a minute, I felt hope, that maybe we could be. It was quickly extinguished when I remembered that he didn't feel like that.

We pulled into the parking lot near the beach. I closed the door of the car and skipped out to the shore, where Alice and Rosalie had spread a blanket. I was exuberant, the sun shining down, the wind in my hair. It was all too good to be real.

I looked over my shoulder and saw Edward trudging through the sand, looking breathtaking in his white t-shirt and black shorts. His bronze hair danced in the breeze. I ran up to Alice and Rosalie and hugged both of them.

"Hey!" Rosalie squealed. "What's up with you? Are you high on sugar or something?" Then she winked. "Or is something to do with your date last night? You have to tell us all about it."

"Later," I muttered. Edward reached us and set down the bags he was carrying.

"Hey," he grinned. "Where are Jasper and Emmett?"

"They should be coming soon," Alice responded. "Emmett said something about a surprise tonight, so I'm guessing it has to do with that."

"Hey, bro!" Emmett's deep voice floated across the beach. We all turned and saw Emmett and Jasper walking through the sand.

"Look what we have," Jasper said excitedly. I raised my eyebrows and exchanged a glance with Edward. We all waited.

"What?" Rosalie prompted.

"Ok, here's the deal," Emmett started. "We have these friends out in Port Angeles, and they gave us six tickets for a cool club which recently opened there." We all stared at them in shocked silence. I laughed nervously.

"What?" Alice asked.

"I'm not really a party kind of girl." I said.

"Not buying it." Jasper said.

"It's a school night." I tried.

"Are you crazy?" Edward exploded. "Clubs like those always have guys who try… inappropriate… things!" I blushed. But then again, he could be talking about his sister.

"I can take care of Alice," Jasper said defensively.

"I'm not talking about Alice," Edward sighed.

"Well, Rosalie's in good hands, so if we're talking about Bella here-" Emmett added.

"Wait a minute." I snapped. I did not like being talked about that way. "I _can_ take care of myself." Edward didn't look so convinced. Why was he being so protective of me?

"So it's decided." Alice chimed. "We'll leave at 6 o'clock." I sighed and looked at Edward. His arms were crossed and he was stubbornly staring at the ground. _Great way to ruin a perfectly nice outing_, I thought.

"It's fine, Edward." I tried to persuade him. He surprised me by agreeing.

"Fine." He said. "If you really think so." I rolled my eyes.

"Let's eat, I'm starving." Emmett boomed. The picnic was pleasant. I got the impression that Edward was still not satisfied, but nobody brought it up again, so I assumed it was definite.

Alice told me to get ready at their house, as she wanted to help me. I couldn't not agree, since it was difficult to deny Alice anything. We all planned to meet at the Cullen house at 6 o'clock.

On the drive back from the beach, Edward occasionally asked me a question and I answered them. But it was silent other than that.

When we reached their house, Alice pulled me upstairs. She got herself ready first. I had to admit, she looked amazing. She was wearing a pink short dress with a deep neck (See link on profile page)

When it was my turn, she made me sit in a chair and started applying make-up and styling my hair. She made me promise not to look at myself in the mirror until she was finished. I sat patiently, and once my patience started to wear out, I began complaining.

"Just wait, Bella." She said, annoyed. Finally she gave me a black dress to wear. I slipped it on and opened the door. Alice's eyes widened. "Wow," she finally said. She put her hands on my shoulders and guided me to the mirror. I looked up and gasped. I didn't recognize the person standing in front of me. She had wavy hair. Her eyes were smoky black and she was wearing a black dress that hugged every curve she had. It took me a moment to realize that I was looking at my self, that that was me. (See link on my profile page for Bella's dress)

I was at a loss of words. "Thank you so much, Alice!" She smiled at me.

"Let's go blow everyone away, shall we?" She said cunningly. I laughed. We walked down the staircase side by side. Edward and Emmett were sitting on the sofa, facing away from us. They were talking softly, and I knew they hadn't heard us coming down. I cleared my throat. Emmett looked around first, and he nudged Edward. Both of them stood up and looked over at us. Edward look stunned. I could see him staring at me. I blushed.

"The final touch," Alice whispered. I couldn't look away from Edward, either. He looked amazing in the blue button up shirt he was wearing. The doorbell rang. I tore my gaze away from Edward's as Alice opened the door. Rosalie and Jasper walked in. Rosalie was wearing a red halter dress. She looked gorgeous.

"Well, then." Rosalie finally said, breaking the silence that seemed on stretch on forever. "Let's get this party started."

**A/N: OK, Please please please ( x infinity) review !! Also, the links to see Bella's, Alice's and Rosalie's dresses are on my profile page. So if you want to see them. Or else you can just let your imagination take over. Anyway, please review. Your reviews to me are like drops of water in a drought. Wow that was a cool metaphor. Anyway, REVIEW !!!**


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey guys!! Here's the next chapter. Like I explained when I updated my other chapter in my other FF (Which I hope all of you will read!), I am really busy with exams, so I'll try to update as often as possible. I felt a little weird while writing some parts of this chapter, but hey, if it brings the drama into the story, then it's ok. So please read and review !!!**

Chapter 12

BPOV

We decided to go in two cars, since only Emmett and Jasper knew the way. Jasper drove one car and Emmet drove the other. Alice and Edward went with Emmett and Rose and I went with Jasper. It took about forty-five minutes to get there, seeing as Jasper was driving. Once we reached Port Angeles, Jasper took a series of turns and finally stopped at a large building with bright lights saying 'Club Flamingo'.

"This is the club?" I asked in disbelief. Jasper chuckled. Rosalie giggled.

"Let's go have some fun!" Rose exclaimed. I clambered out of the car. The heels Alice had made me wear were a little tricky to walk in, but with some caution, I proceeded towards the entrance. I heard another car pull up and saw Edward's Volvo park behind the red BMW. I smiled. Edward looked sulky. I caught Alice's eye, but she just grinned and shook her head.

She walked up to me, and we both turned and walked in together. "Edward doesn't like anyone else driving his car, but only Emmett knew how to get here," She explained. I giggled.

I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned around and saw Rosalie grinning. Hers and Emmett's arms were linked together. They were really cute together. I wondered whether theirs would be a long term relationship, whether they would be together for their whole lives. With a pang of sadness, I wondered if I would ever find anyone for me.

Trying to lighten up, I asked Alice, "Do you guys go clubbing a lot?"

"No," She said bobbing her head to the beat of the music coming from inside the club. "Only once in a while."

Emmett gave the bouncer the six tickets and we went in. I had to admit, it was amazing. It was dark with some colored lights. There was a band on the stage, playing a popular upbeat song. The dance floor was different thing altogether. It was crammed with people dancing. I pushed my way through the crowd. We made it to the drinks counter unscathed. Emmett gave the bartender a high five.

"Hey Mitch, what's up? This is a pretty sweet gig." Emmett shouted over the loud music. Mitch grinned back. Emmett turned to us. "Why don't all of you go sit down. I'll get the drinks."

"No alcohol for me." I yelled. Emmett nodded. Alice, Rose, Jasper, Edward and I sat at a table.

?POV

I saw Bella, Alice and Rosalie sitting with Jasper and Edward at the round table in the corner. Alice and Rosalie were taken, but as far as I knew, Bella was still single unless you counted that one date she went on with Mike. I caught the arm of the waiter who was following Emmett and slipped him a ten dollar bill.

"Pour some booze into it." I told him. The waiter pulled out a bottle from the other side of the counter and poured the clear liquid into the pink drink. Bella was so hot. I trembled in anticipation.

BPOV

"It's a nice place, don't you think?" Edward asked me. I nodded. Emmett came over to the table. A waiter, carrying our drinks followed his and placed them down on the table. I picked up a pink drink, which was placed in front of me. I loved mocktails so I had ordered a virgin margarita. (**A/N: Those are my favorite, too!!**) I took a huge gulp of it. The strawberry taste was refreshing. I sensed a slightly bitter edge to the drink but brushed it off. Edward took a sip of his drink. Alice and Rosalie had ordered Shirley Temples. The band had gone offstage and now they were playing CDs. After a few more sips, I started to feel a little light-headed. The song 'Forever' by Chris Brown started playing. I grabbed Alice's and Rosalie's arms.

"Let's go dance!" I shouted euphorically. I laughed. Wow, that virgin margarita sure was refreshing. Edward, Emmett and Jasper had gone to meet their friend, the one who had given us tickets to get in.

"Let's wait for the guys." Rosalie said, hesitating. I frowned at them. They were ruining my fun.

"Fine," I snapped. "I'm going." I drained my drink and set it down on the table. The music, the atmosphere, the dancing; it was all so intoxicating. I danced through the crowd. I felt myself sway to the beat.

"Do you want to dance?" A deep voice from behind me asked. I turned and saw a guy with dark colored hair. He had a smile on his face.

"Sure," I said easily. "I'm Bella."

"I'm James," he replied. He started dancing with me. The song ended, and another fast track started. I started jumping around. I was too intoxicated to realize anything else than the fact that I was dancing. I was lost in the music.

EPOV

"Hey guys," I pulled out the chair and sat down. Alice and Rosalie were deep in conversation. They noticed me after a few seconds.

"Oh hey, Edward." Rosalie said. Alice was swaying with the music.

"Where's Bella?" I inquired. Her glass was on the table, empty.

"Oh, she went to dance." Alice said absentmindedly. "You should probably go and find her. We'll leave in about half an hour. I think you should dance with her once before we leave, Edward." She gave me a knowing smile.

I pushed my chair back and stood up. "I'm going to find her." I announced. I shoved through the crowd and saw Bella's brown hair flying around. Making my way over, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Bella.

She was dancing in perfect synch with the music. But that wasn't what shocked me. James, was dancing with her. His hands slid down hers, and moved onto her back. He looked up and saw me staring. He grinned evilly at me and slid his hands down Bella's back. Fury like none I had ever known consumed me. I pushed through the crowd and slapped his hands away.

Bella turned around and saw me. "Edward." Her voice slurred. I snatched her hand and pulled her behind me, away from James. I grabbed the front of his shirt.

"What did you do to her?" I snarled. James smirked.

"Chill Edward. Just because you don't have the guts to touch her like that, doesn't mean we all don't. She can move her body _real_ nice." He taunted. I pushed him. He fell on the people behind him, but quickly regained his balance.

"What did you do to her?" I screamed again, the music blaring in my ears.

"A little alcohol has never hurt anyone, Edward." He drawled.

"You spiked her drink?" I shouted.

"Relax. I just wanted to see how she is. Don't you remember my…fun experience… with Alice?" He smirked. Rage pulsed through me at the mention of my sister. I pulled back my arm and punched James as hard as I could.

"Edward!" I heard a shrill voice scream. I turned to see Alice and Jasper pushing their way towards me. James wiped off the blood that trickled down his face.

"Till later," he acknowledged and blended into the crowd. I clenched my fists in frustration. Bella was unsteady beside me. Her eyes were wide with fright. I held her hand and pulled her toward Alice and Jasper.

"Let's go before I do something I regret." I spat. I still hadn't calmed down. "I'm driving Bella home. All you go in Rosalie's car." Alice and Jasper left. Bella started singing along to the song which was now playing. I lifted her off the ground.

"Put me down, Edward." She commanded. I ignored her and continued walking toward my car.

"Damn it, Edward, let go of me!" She yelled.

"Shut up, Bella." I snapped at her. "What do you think you were doing? Don't you know who that was?"

"James?" she asked uncertainly. I groaned. She giggled and started singing again. I carried her out of the club and sat her in the passenger seat of my Volvo. I put on her seatbelt. Closing the door, I got into the driver's seat and started the car. Bella turned on the radio. The song 'Put your arms around me' by Natasha Bedingfield was playing and Bella started singing along.

_Yours is the kind of love that makes nothing else feel good enough_

_And I'm never gonna give you up. Oh no, no no_

I turned off the radio.

"Ok Bella, that's enough." I said. Her eyes were drooping. I wasn't sure how much longer she would be awake. She looked over at me. I looked ahead at the road and then glanced back at her after a few minutes. She was fast asleep. I turned my attention to the road and focused on getting home as soon as possible.

**Read and Review !!! And also read my other story 'I know what love is'. I've only writtedn two chapters, but I'd like more reviews for it. So review this chapter please !!!**


	14. Chapter 13

**Here's the next chapter!! Sorry I took so long to update it. I had exams until Monday, so now I can update!! Isn't that awesome??? And I hope all of you get a chance to read my other story called "i know what love is". OK so read and review please!!!!**

Chapter 13

BPOV

I had a searing pain in my head when I woke up. The blinding sunlight didn't make it any better. I slowly sat up, and squinted against the morning light. It took a minute for me to focus, and then I pushed off the covers and stood up.

"Are you finally awake?" A voice said from my door. I turned my head a little too fast, and felt light-headed.

"Edward?" I asked, confused. "What are you doing here?" Realization dawned on me, and I remembered what happened last. Until the part where I blanked out, of course.

"What happened?" I was really confused now. The last thing I remembered was having my drink at the club last night.

"Well," Edward started, a hard edge in his voice. "Last night we went to a club. There, a guy named James spiked your drink, tried to… misbehave with you, I drove you home, and I was too tired to drive myself back, so I fell asleep on the couch downstairs."

I blinked, trying to comprehend what he just said.

"Wait." I said. "I was drunk?" An amused expression crossed his face.

"I didn't know that you get affected by such small amounts of alcohol." He joked. Then his face became serious again. "Are you ok?"

"I think. Who's James?" I inquired. His face hardened.

"He's a guy who you never want to get involved with. Let's leave it at that." I shivered. I looked around my room, my eyes falling on the clock on the dresser.

"Holy crap!" I shrieked. The clock read 11:00am. "We missed school!"

Edward raised his eyebrows. "So what? One day isn't going to make a difference. Besides, I didn't go to school either." I looked down at me feet.

"Listen," Edward told me. "Why don't you take a shower and come downstairs? I'll get some breakfast ready."

"You can cook?" I asked skeptically. "I don't want to end up in the hospital or anything." Edward rolled his eyes, and turned to leave.

"Be quick." He said over his shoulder. As I stood under the shower, I thought about why Edward was being so nice to me.

"Bella!" he shouted up.

"Oops," I muttered. I had been in the shower longer than I realized. Quickly putting on a pair of sweats and a fitting t-shirt, I went downstairs.

"Cereal?" I snorted, looking at the breakfast which Edward had prepared. "I have to admit, for a minute, I thought you were actually going to cook something." Edward's eyes twinkled.

"And send you to the hospital. Nope, not my idea of a healthy breakfast. Cereal's good." I smiled.

"Thanks," I said.

"Ok, now let's eat." He commanded.

"Fine."

"So do you remember anything that happened last night?" He meant it casually. I guess he didn't think I would.

"Vaguely," I nodded. "What's the story behind Alice and James?"

Edward's fists clenched. I blinked, surprised by the sudden fury in his eyes.

"OK, another time, then." I said quickly.

"It's not that," Edward whispered. "I've been trying to put it behind me for so long. And then, seeing James last night and all, all the memories came flooding back."

"You don't have to tell me," I murmured.

"You have a right to know." He said with finality.

I waited for him to say something. Suddenly the phone rang. I jumped. I picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Bella, why didn't you come to school today?" Alice's disapproving voice rang in m ear. Cringing, I pulled the receiver a little away from my ear. Edward raised his eyebrows in confusion. 'Alice' I mouthed. A look of understanding crossed his face. He smirked.

"I'm sorry, Alice, I just woke up a little while ago." I replied.

"Hey listen," she said. "Do you know where Edward is? I've been trying to call him, but he hasn't been picking up his phone. He didn't come to school either." I made a face.

"One minute, Alice." I covered the receiver with my hand. "Alice doesn't know you're here?" I hissed at him.

He looked at me innocently.

"No, I don't know where he is. In fact I haven't seen him since yesterday." I told her, glaring at Edward. He laughed silently.

"Well, if you hear from him, can you tell him I'm going to kick his ass when he gets home?"

"Sure," I said brightly. Edward looked confused at my sudden mood swing. "Bye, Alice."

I hung up the phone, not taking my eyes off him.

"What did Alice say?" He asked.

"Oh nothing," I said casually. "She just told me if I talk to you to tell you that she's gonna kick your ass." He just chuckled.

"Well, I should go." He stood up. The phone rang again. I reached for it, but Edward picked it up faster.

"Hello?" He asked. His eyes narrowed infinitesimally. I wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't been watching him so closely. "One minute," He said into the phone. He held it out for me to take. "It's Mike." I took the receiver, and watched Edward waved cheerfully and leave. I heard the front door close.

"Hey Mike" I said.

"Bella," I could hear him smile. "So, how are you?"

"I'm fine," I answered. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be in school?" He laughed.

"I could ask you the same thing, but to answer your question, yes I am in school."

"Oh." I muttered, feeling stupid.

"So, what did you do yesterday?" He asked.

"Who answered the phone just now?" He asked casually, but I could hear some other emotion bubbling in his voice.

"That was… uh…" I stammered. "It was my dad…" I lied.

"Oh." He replied. I assumed that he bought my story. "So what did you do yesterday?"

"I went for a picnic with the Cullens and the Hales," I replied.

"Hmm," I could hear the scepticism in his voice.

"Really," I insisted. "Anyway, tell me, what else is happening?" I steered him away from the topic.

"Oh, umm, actually I wanted to know why you didn't come to school today, so I just called. I hope that's okay?" He sounded nervous. I laughed.

"It's fine, Mike. I'll see you in school tomorrow. Bye."

"Bye, Bella," He said softly. I hung up the phone and went and locked the front door. For the rest of the afternoon, I sat on the sofa and read Wuthering Height. Once, I happened to look out the window. A red, shiny sports car made my heart stop beating. I couldn't tell who was in the car, but if it was _his_ car…

A loud knock on the door made me leap into the air.

"Who is it?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"It's me, Bells," Charlie replied. I sighed in relief and opened the door. My gaze shifted away from his face and to the place on the road where I had seen the car. There was nothing.

"How was the party at the Cullens' last night?" He asked. I spun around.

"What?" I gaped at him.

"Alice told me you were at her place. And Edward brought you home. Wow you looked real tired. You even skipped school?" Charlie looked suspiciously at me, as I stared blankly back at him. I could hear a click in my brain as it finally registered.

"Oh, I must have fallen asleep. Sorry, I missed school. It won't happen again," I reassured him. He relaxed.

"As long as it doesn't happen again," he warned me. I whiled away the rest of the afternoon and evening out on the lawn. It was a much too beautiful day to be stuck up inside. Lying on the grass gave me a lot of free time to reflect on the past week. So here I was, at crossroads. On one side I had Mike. It's not that he wasn't a nice guy or anything, but, he wasn't Edward. And of course, Edward stood on the other side, untouchable. He himself told me that we would be friends only. So I would honour his decision.

Soon enough, it became dark outside, and I went in and started cooking dinner. I decided to make lasagne tonight. Charlie and I finished eating, and I told him that I was going to bed.

"Jeez, Bell, didn't you sleep enough today?" he asked, teasingly. I gave him an appraising look.

"Sure, sure." I smiled at him. "I'll see you in the morning, dad. Good night."

That night I couldn't fall asleep for a long time, and when I did fall asleep, it felt like a very short time. And so passed the week like that. It was comparatively monotonous and I was waiting for the weekend. On Friday afternoon, as the last bell rang, Alice skipped up to me, grinning.

"So what plans for the weekend?" She asked. I shrugged. I didn't have any big plans as of yet.

"Hey, Bella," Mike waved and walked over. "Can I have a minute?" he requested Alice. I walked with him, towards my car.

"What's up, Mike?" I smiled at him.

"Would you like to spend the day with me tomorrow?" He asked hopefully.

"Sure," I replied. "What are we going to do?" He grinned.

"That's going to be a surprise," He told me. "I'll pick you up at 10."

"OK," I said cheerfully. He waved at me and walked to his car. Rosalie and Alice bounced up to me.

"What did he want?" Rosalie demanded.

"Oh, he asked me if I wanted to spend the day with him tomorrow." I shrugged. Alice clapped her hands excitedly.

"Oh my god, of course you have to go, Bella!" She squealed.

"Chill," I answered coolly, "I already told him yes." Alice cheered silently, and Rosalie looked happy. I searched the parking lot for Edward, but he was nowhere in sight. Instead, my eyes fell on a flashy red sports car. I felt cold at the sight of it. Was it him? How did he know that I was here?

"Bella," Edward's voice came from behind me. I turned around and looked up into his eyes. "I hope you have a great time with Mike tomorrow." His tone was saturated with sincerity.

"Thanks," I murmured and climbed into my truck. The engine roared to life, and I pulled out of the parking lot and drove home.

**Hey! I'm sure all of you are dying to know the story behind James and the the flashy red car. Just to clear your confusion, I will elaborate on that in upcoming chapters, not just yet. Also, they aren't related in any way. Please review. You know you want to. JK, I don't want to sound desperate or anything, but - please review !!**


	15. Chapter 14

**Hey all! Just for clarification, some people asked me why Bella keeps agreeing to go out with Mike. It's just that she doesn't know what an idiot he is right now, and she thinks he's nice and all, so that's why. So right now, she trusts him more than Edward, so she will confide in him, and you'll find out more about the flashy sports car in this chapter or the next one. But he reveals his true colors later. So read this chapter. I've made it longer than the others. Please review !!**

Chapter 14

BPOV

I reached home about ten minutes later. I bolted the door behind me. A warm shower would get me relaxed, I thought. So I stood under the hot water, letting it relax my muscles. Sure enough, a few minutes later, I felt myself calming down. Why I was so anxious, I had no idea. I decided to watch a movie, picking one of my all-time favorites, Romeo and Juliet. I brought down my fuzzy blanket, and snuggled into one corner of the sofa. The phone rang. Absentmindedly, not looking away from the screen, I picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"

Silence.

"Hello?" I asked again, irritated. I glanced up at the clock. would be dumb enough to bother people so late in the evening like this?

"Don't think I haven't forgotten," A deep voice threatened. I was suddenly chilled to the bone. I knew that voice. "I don't have such a bad memory."

"What do you want?" I squeaked.

"Tsk, tsk. Please don't ask unnecessary questions. You know what I want." He replied. I swallowed.

"Please," I begged. "Please leave me alone."

"Now why," he replied, amused, "would I do such a thing?" I didn't answer. "I look forward to our next meeting, Bella." Though his voice was soft, I could hear the deadly threat in it. He wouldn't spare me this time. Shakily, I put the phone down. A sudden knock on the door made me scream. Luckily, I covered my mouth, so the sound was muffled.

"Bella, open the door!" Edward shouted from outside. I ran to the door and opened it. Edward was standing on the doorstep, dripping wet. As soon as I opened it, he pushed past me, eager to get to a warm place.

"Hey Edward," I managed to say, without my voice shaking.

"Hi," He replied.

"What are you doing here?" I knew he heard the slight hysteric edge in my voice. I heard it, too. He raised his eyebrows.

"Bella, are you alright?" He asked, concerned. The phone rang again. I felt the blood drain from my face. Edward tensed at my expression and went to the living room to answer the phone. I knew he was wondering why I was as pale as a sheet.

"Hello?" he asked. "Hello?" Apparently, there was no response, se he kept the receiver back onto the phone. I let out a deep breath.

"Care to explain?" His tone was that of anger. But it didn't seem like it was directed at me.

"I-I can't," I confessed, covering my face with my hands. I could hear him shuffle towards me. He put his hands on my shoulders.

"Bella, please trust me." He pleaded. I couldn't let him get involved, too.

"You should leave, Edward." My voice came out more icily than I had intended, and I regretted it at once. A look of hurt crossed his face, but he quickly settled for a neutral expression. "I'm sorry. I just can't-"

"You don't need to explain yourself." He said, his voice hard. "You're right, I should go." He turned to leave.

"Edward, wait." I called. He stopped, but didn't look back. "You never did tell me why you came in the first place." He turned his head a little.

"To be honest, Bella, it doesn't really matter anymore." With that, he opened the door and walked out into the rain. I felt a stab of pain. I really wanted to trust Edward, but for some reason, I couldn't. I closed the door, after I saw his silver car drive away. A few moments later, Charlie's police cruiser pulled up into the driveway, and he gladly rushed into the house, to get out of the wet cold.

"How was your day, Bells?" He asked.

"Good," I forced a smile. " How was yours?"

"Aah, the usual day of a cop," He sighed. But I could hear the smile in his voice. I knew that Charlie loved his job. We ate dinner, talking occasionally about some random thing. After that, I finished up my homework, and decided to check my email. It had been a long time since I had sent an email to Renee.

_Hey Mom,_

_How are you? It's been a really long time since I emailed you, so I thought since I have free time, I would see what's new with you. Life here in Forks is pretty good, I've made some friends, who are becoming close. 'm even going out with this guy, Mike. He's a decent guy, so far. I think I'm starting to trust him. Anyway, I'll email you again soon. It's getting late and I need to get some sleep._

_Lots of Love,_

_Bella_

Perfect, I thought. I went downstairs and informed Charlie that I was going to sleep. No need for him to come and check on me. I lay down in bed, but for some reason I wasn't even sleepy. So I did something I had never done before. I took a sleeping pill, the one that knocks you out for a good eight hours. Pretty soon, I was fast asleep. Morning came quicker than I realized. I remembered that I was going to go out today with mike. I was curious as to what he had planned for us. Us, I mused silently. Was that what we were now? Of course I would always have a desire in my heart to be with Edward but that didn't mean I couldn't go out with other people. I changed into jeans and a plaid shirt. I thought it would be best to eat breakfast before I went, so I ate two slices of bread and jam.

A horn outside indicated that Mike was here. It was soon followed by a rapid knock on the door. I opened the door and smiled at Mike.

"Hey," I greeted, "It's a nice day, isn't it."

"Now it is," he agreed. I blushed.

"Come in," I suggested. "I'm not ready yet. Of course it would be easier if I knew where we were going." Mike laughed.

"Nope, it's a secret." He pretended to zip up his lips and throw away the key. I threw in a few things that I thought I might need into a bag and slung it over my shoulder.

"Ok," I said, "Now I'm ready." He opened the door for me and closed it behind me. I locked it and when he wasn't looking, put it in its usual place under the doormat. We both sat in his car.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Not in the least," I teased. "Let's go." We drove for a short while and finally reached our destination. I recognized it as the First Beach. The only reason I knew it was because I used to hang out here as a kid, while Charlie and his friend Billy went fishing. Billy had a son named Jacob. I wondered how he was. It had been a long time since I saw him. Mike led me onto the beach where a blanket was laid out. I sat down on it, and he sat down, too next to me.

"So…?" I asked. I was confused as to why he was doing this.

"Bella," He started, "I want to tell you something. You're an amazing person, and I've really started to like you." Oh. I felt nervous all of a sudden.

"You're really nice, too." I said. "I trust you." He smiled.

"Thanks. That means a lot." Mike said. "I hope you know that you can tell me anything." I nodded. He raised his eyebrows expectantly. Suddenly, I wanted to tell him all about Phoenix. I wanted someone else to know. I couldn't bear keeping it a secret anymore. I wanted to be able to confide in someone.

"OK, there's something I think you should know. And I want you to know how difficult it is for me to tell you. I've never told anyone before. Please don't be judgmental." I said in a rush. He held my hand, and patiently waited for me to continue. "Promise me," I pressed.

"I promise," he said wistfully.

"OK," I whispered. "It was about a year ago…" I found the memories swimming in my eyes.

"_Hey Bella," my friend Janelle exclaimed, "Let's go. This is why we have driving licenses." I pondered for a minute. Was it right? Renee had trusted us, trusted us not to leave the house. And besides, it was already late, 10:00pm._

"_Are you sure about this?" I asked hesitantly. Thinking fast for an excuse, I said the first thing that came to mind. "It's dark outside and…we should be getting ready for bed." If only Renee knew what all we were doing at our innocent sleepover…_

"_Don't be such a spoilsport," Janelle pouted. "Please, let's have some fun. You know I'm leaving after this summer. I'm moving halfway across the country."_

"_OK," I agreed. "As long as you're extra careful. And I'm not going to drive, ok?"_

"_Fine, fine," she muttered sardonically. I put on my jacket, since it was chilly outside. Janelle grabbed her keys and opened the front door. I followed, her, closing it on my way out. She got into the driver's seat and started the car._

"_Yay!" she cheered quietly. I gave her a patronizing look._

"_Let's just go," I hissed, "Where are you planning to go anyway?" She shrugged her shoulders. I rolled my eyes and settled into the seat. My eyes started to droop and I started to drift away…_

"_HOLY SHIT!" Janelle screeched. I jolted awake._

"_What's wrong?" I asked, frantically. Janelle's face was white as sheet, and she couldn't speak. She just pointed her finger. I turned and followed her gaze and gasped._

"_Janelle, what the hell did you do?" I demanded. A flashy red sports car, dented and damaged was on its side on the sidewalk. I couldn't see if the owner was there or not. "Get out," I commanded. "We need to see if he's ok!" I pushed open the door roughly, and made my way over. I walked around the car and peered into it. A young man, about 20 years or so, was unconscious in the driver's seat. Blood trickled down the side of his face from a gash just above his eye. His eyes were closed. Taking a deep breath, I lightly touched his wrist, searching for a pulse. Hope turned to horror when I found that there was none. I stumbled away from the car._

"_I think h-he's d-d-dead," I stuttered. Janelle clapped her hand over her mouth._

"_So what should we do?" Her voice was barely a whisper. My snapped up, and I glared at her._

"_We have to go to the police station!" I exploded. She cowered away._

"_Bella, I don't think that's such a good idea." She begged. I looked at her incredulously. "We'll call the police station from your house, and tell them. But we won't tell them it was us." She continued._

"_Janelle, this guy might be dead." I said weakly._

"_Bella, don't you get it?" Now she was angry. "We have our whole future ahead of us! We can't turn ourselves in. It'll destroy us."_

_I pondered for a minute. Sighing, I pulled out my cell phone from my pocket and dialed 911. After about 2 rings, it was picked up by someone._

"_Hello?" A rough voice answered._

"_Hi," I said in a fake voice, "I would like to report an accident at" I looked at the street sign, "57__th __Avenue and 31__st__ Main Street." I paused. "I think the man is badly hurt." I hung up._

_Janelle sighed in relief. I glared at her. I felt tears fill my eyes, and blinked them away. I couldn't believe what I had just done. Janelle hopped into the driver's seat and turned on the engine._

"_Come on," she called. I could feel my legs trembling as I walked over to the car. I turned back and looked once again at the flipped over car and then sat inside the car. Janelle drove away._

I didn't realize that I was shivering. Mike put his arm around me.

"It could've happened to anyone," He said gently.

"But it happened to me," I argued. "And I'm still paying for it." My voice broke.

"What do you mean," He asked, confused. I sighed.

"OK, about 3 months later…" I continued.

_I walked to school in the cool morning breeze. Occasionally lifting my eyes from the sidewalk, I noticed people getting ready for work, birds chirping, and freshness in the air. I loved the morning. It refreshed me. I glanced up from the sidewalk again. My eyes fell on a flashy red sports car. I gasped as the window rolled down, revealing the driver. It was him. His look was unfathomable as he continued to watch me. I ran past the car, as fast as I could until I saw one of my friends walking just a few metres ahead of me. I called her name, and was relieved when she slowed down to walk with me. I didn't dare glance back. That whole day I was totally stressed and shaken, stunned by the possibility that he wasn't dead. I hadn't found a pulse that fateful night, but today he was right in front of me, like nothing had happened to him._

"It happened more than once," I continued. Mike's face had become pale. "And then the phone calls started. He would threaten me, blackmail me. Sometimes I wonder why all this happened in the first place. If I hadn't been so stupid-" My voice broke. Mike pulled me into a hug, and I cried.

**OK so most of you are going to be stressed coz like, why is Bella trusting Mike, and not Edward?? I already said in the beginning of this chapter. So please review. Reviews to me are like what Edward is to Bella. JK, anyway please review !!!**


	16. Chapter 15

**Hey y'all !! Thanks for all the reviews!!! I know I haven't updated in a while, so here's the next chapter. Read and review !!! **

Chapter 15

BPOV

A couple of weeks had passed since that afternoon at the beach. Mike was as sweet as ever. Whenever I was with him, I could confide in him and he would just listen patiently. It was relieving that someone else besides me knew about the accident. I continued to spend a majority of my time with Alice, Rose, Emmett, Jasper and Edward. To my surprise, Edward acted as though nothing had even happened. But none of them were very supportive of this new relationship with Mike.

"I don't know," Alice shook her head one day, "I just don't have a good feeling about this." I tried to convince her that Mike was different, but she didn't believe me.

The phone calls continued and they left me just as nervous as before, if not worse. But I tolerated it all, knowing that I deserved it. It was about two weeks later that my life at Forks changed drastically. I hadn't even expected it to happen. What are the odds? Someone who you trust so explicitly betrays you in the snap of a finger. It was a usual day. I woke up and got ready for school. The phone rang.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hey Bella!" Alice chimed. I laughed. "Guess what?" she asked and then continued without waiting for me to ask, "our whole family is going away for the weekend. We'll be back on Sunday night. I hope you don't mind hanging out at school alone for today." I assured her that it was fine.

"Have fun," I told her. "Where are you going, by the way?"

"Oh, there's this huge family reunion in Los Angeles, so since the whole family's going to be there, we thought that we'd go, too." She sounded pretty excited.

"OK, well I'll see you on Monday." I hoped the disappointment in my voice was concealed well enough.

"Bye, Bella," she said.

"Bye, Alice," I replied and hung up the phone. Oh well, at least Rose and Jasper were there. I'd still see them. That day I decided to drive myself to school instead of walking. Usually I loved walking, but I was a bit lazy, so why not drive? I parked in the parking lot. Looking around the parking lot, but couldn't find Rosalie's red convertible. Maybe they weren't here, yet, I mused. They might be late today. I remembered Rosalie telling me something about a dentist's appointment, and that they would be about forty five minutes late today. Sighing, I made my way towards the school. It took my eyes a couple minutes to adjust to the dimness of the indoors. As I walked through the hallways to get to my locker, hushed whispers seemed to follow me. I glanced around and everyone quietened when I looked at them. A feeling of uneasiness spread through me. What was going on? Where was Mike? Suddenly it seemed like a bad day for my friends to be absent. I would've given anything for at least one of them to be walking beside me right now. I reached my locker after what seemed like an eternity. Opening it, I found my books for the first period when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around to see a girl who I knew only by face standing in front of me.

"Hi," I smiled, "Kelsey, right?"

"Um, no, it's Kelli," she corrected me. I apologized.

"So, what's new?" I asked casually. She looked like she wanted to ask me something, but was hesitating. "What?" She looked away nervously. "What?" I repeated.

"Did you get in trouble for it?" She asked. I stared blankly at her.

"Huh?" I didn't get what she was trying to say. Trouble?

"Oh my god, she actually killed someone," I heard a familiar sneer. Lauren, one of Jessica's friends, and her posse walked past. Her words hit me like a bullet train. I felt the blood drain from my face. They couldn't possible know… I mean… How could… It wasn't possible… Mike swore he wouldn't tell… I felt dizzy and disoriented. I needed to find Mike. And right away. I staggered through the hallways.

"Have you seen Mike?" I asked a girl standing near me. She moved away from me.

"Stay away from me!" She scorned. I swallowed. I could literally hear my heartbeat now, and it was really loud. I stumbled along the corridors and peered into every room, looking for him. I opened the door to the Janitor's room and gasped. Mike and Jessica were making out on the table and didn't even notice me standing there. I felt used, betrayed.

"Mike," I yelled. I hadn't intended it to come out as a yell, but I was in too much disbelief to say it quietly. He looked over at me and his expression became one of guilt. He pushed Jessica off of him and started walking towards me.

"Bella, wait," he called. I spun around and half ran. Tears streamed down my face. "Jessica came on to me," he tried to explain. I walked faster.

"How long has this been going on, Mike?" I asked through my tears. I couldn't believe that I had been so stupid. Alice was right. She had always been right. He caught up to me and gripped my shoulders. "What is wrong with you?" He demanded. I stared at him in shock.

"What is wrong with _me_?" I asked incredulously. "Are you seriously asking me that question? I can't believe you!" I tried to slip out of his grip, but he was holding me to tightly.

"Well, it's not my fault," He argued. "If you had given me what I wanted, then I wouldn't have to go to others for it!" It all came back to me. Once, after a study session, Mike had leaned down for a kiss. I gave him a short peck on the lips and pulled away. He had asked me if that was all he was going to get. I told him yes because that was all I was ready for.

"Unless, you're ready now?" he asked. I could see a shimmer of hope in his eyes. Disgusted, I realised that that was all he was after, right from the beginning. I saw the resolve form in his eyes, and crushed his lips to mine. His arms tightened around me, holding me closer. He tried to deepen the kiss, but I used all my energy and pushed him away. And then I slapped him.

"I cannot believe I trusted you," my voice was icy. "I told you my deepest secret, and you told the whole school?" My voice rose by a couple of octaves.

"Relax, Bells, it's not that big of a deal. I only told Lauren. It's not my fault she told everyone else." He shrugged nonchalantly. I gaped at him.

"Not a big deal? NOT A BIG DEAL? Mike, the whole school thinks I killed somebody!" I shrieked.

"You did," he pointed out. I felt the tears well up in my eyes again.

"I don't need to hear this," I turned around and started running.

"Hey, Bella," Mike called after me. I still kept running. "Jessica is so much better than you are." I reached my car, and struggled to put the key in the ignition. I was blinded by my tears. They don't stop falling, as I drove home. Rosalie would understand, I reasoned. I felt guilty about not telling my friends, about them finding out like this. But right now, I was too hurt to care, all I wanted was to go home and curl up under my covers and cry. I finally got home, and into my bed. I pulled the covers over my head. I cried so much that my head seared with pain. My eyes were sore, and I felt like crap. Charlie must have had me crying, because he didn't check up on me. He was terrified of the waterworks. It was kind of like his cue to leave me alone. I didn't keep track of the days, until Alice and Rosalie came over one morning. Of course I heard the doorbell ring, but I didn't bother to go answer it. A few minutes later I heard a knock on my bedroom door. Without waiting for a response, the door opened and I heard two people noisily storm in.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Bella?" Rosalie screeched. "We were so worried about you. No phone calls, no messages. We were scared that something might have happened to you." When I didn't reply, the cover was pulled off of me. Alice gasped. I knew how I must look right now, dishevelled hair, red eyes, and tired.

"Bella, what happened?" she asked in a softer voice, concerned.

"Didn't you go to school?" I snapped. "You would've heard all about it there!" She looked taken aback by my tone. I winced at the pain that seared through my head.

"You're right," Rose admitted, "It's Monday evening. We did go to school. But we want the real story from you." I wanted to cry, but my tear ducts had run dry over the past few days.

"I trusted him," I whispered in a broken voice. "He lied to me, he betrayed me." They both hugged me tightly.

"Mike is an idiot," Alice said fiercely.

"I should have listened to you."

"Bella, can you please tell us what really happened?" Rosalie pleaded. "We're not going to judge you." I realised that they had the right to know, so I told them everything. They just sat silently, listening to the whole thing. Finally when I was done, we sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Bella," Alice broke the silence, "What has happened is over. You can't change anything, now. Just forget about it."

"I can't," I said sadly. "It haunts me all the time."

"Why?" Rosalie asked, frustrated. I told them about the phone calls, and the threats. They were both shocked and of course, angry that I had kept it from them all this time.

"You were in serious danger by not telling us," Rosalie exploded. I cringed at her reaction. As if I didn't know that.

"Now you know." I said simply. "Oh and the guys don't know about it, yet. I wasn't sure if I should tell them."

"You have to," Alice commanded. "They can help keep you safe."

"Are you guys ok with this?" I asked tentatively.

"We'll always be here for you," Rosalie smiled. "Forever." I felt a smile spread across my face.

"God, Bella, now that you're not depressed anymore, can you please take a shower?" Alice whined. I laughed. I was glad to know that things hadn't changed.

**OK, now I know that you're all itching to review, so to relieve yourself, send in a review. Pretty please??**

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	17. Chapter 16

**Hey!! This chapter is a bit short, but I really wanted to update it, so here we are. Anyway, thank you all for the reviews which you sent me. It was very nice. Also, please read my other stories. You can find the links for them on my profile. For those of you who are restless and want Bella and Edward to get together, sorry but you'll have to wait. I want their relationship to be normal, and gradual. Not like some people make it out to be, like love at first sight or something. So here is chapter 16.......................**

Chapter 16

BPOV

Telling Rose and Alice made me feel so much better. The next day, even though I dreaded going to school, Alice insisted that I shouldn't let other people bother me, since I didn't even do anything wrong. They both came over in the morning, and tried to help boost my confidence. It didn't really work, though. I was as nervous as ever when the school buildings came into view.

"Are you sure I shouldn't just change schools or something?" I asked frantically.

"We're here for you," Rosalie said soothingly.

"Let them come," Alice scoffed. "I can handle them." She parked her car in the parking lot. Alice and Rosalie both got out of the car, but I remained sitting. Rosalie opened my door and pulled me out.

"Bella, you've gotta face them sooner or later." Rosalie reasoned. I walked with them, slowly, until we finally reached the school. Alice pushed the door open confidently, and Rosalie and I followed her. I could sense that people were staring at me, and again, it would get all quiet when I walked by, even though Rosalie and Alice were with me.

"Oh for crying out loud," Alice shouted when she had finally had enough. "What is wrong with all of you? You're acting like Bella's some _criminal_!" I flinched at her choice of words. A tall jock, took a step forward.

"But she killed someone," he pointed out.

"No, she didn't" Alice said exasperatedly. "You know what? She didn't kill anyone. Yes, that's right." She repeated, as if to emphasize her point. There was a low rumble of confusion from everyone. "All you people know if that there was an accident, right? Well, let me tell you something else. And I have no idea why Bella didn't tell you this." She shot me a glare. "But they guy didn't die. He might have been unconscious, but he didn't die." I saw people nodding, and some with slight smiles on their faces. Hope began to spread through me, that people wouldn't hate me after all. I mean, everyone makes mistakes.

"So I hope we won't be hearing that any of you have been troubling Bella," Rosalie said in a sweet voice, which made her seem more threatening. I saw some people cower, and some people were impressed.

"Let's go, Bella," Alice said. "We still have to deal with Mike." I suddenly felt sick. This was not something I wanted to go through with. I didn't know if I could bear it.

"Hi, Bella," someone said quietly from behind me. I turned around and saw Edward. He had a sad look in his eyes, though he was smiling. "Can I walk you to class?" I glanced over at Rose and Alice. A reassuring look from them told me that they would deal with Mike. I would be forever grateful to them. As if I already wasn't.

"Sure," I replied to Edward. I started walked with him. Once we turned the corridor, though, he stopped abruptly, and gazed into my eyes.

"Why couldn't you tell me?" he asked, his voice saturated with hurt.

"I'm sorry," I choked. "I thought that people would judge me. Or tell everyone."

"I wouldn't have told anyone," he pointed out. "Not like Mike." I winced at his name. "And I wouldn't have judged you." His gaze was so piercing, I had to look away. I looked down at my shoes uncomfortably.

"Look, Edward," I started. But he interrupted me.

"No," he objected.

"Just stop," I said. I smiled a little. "Now we can go back to being friends." His eyes tightened just a little, and he smiled back.

"Friends," he agreed. The rest of the day passed by uneventfully. I wished that I could trust Edward. I really did. But I just couldn't. I was too doubtful to trust anyone. Alice and Rosalie were different. I couldn't explain it, not even to myself.

That day after school, Alice invited me over to her house to spend the afternoon there.

"Sure," I said. So we all drove there in her yellow Porsche, while Edward drove his Volvo.

"So, what do you want to do?" Rosalie asked me. To be honest, I wasn't sure.

"I don't know," I sighed.

"I know," Emmett came bounding into the room. We all stared at him, waiting for him to continue. "I just got a new horror movie from the video store, so I was thinking we could all watch it."

"Umm, Emmett," I waggled my eyebrows at him. "Horror and me don't really get along. Why don't we watch something else?"

"No way," Jasper exclaimed, sauntering into the room. "Horror, it is."

"I'll only watch on one condition," Alice said. She looked up at Jasper. "You'll protect me, Jazz, right?"

"Of course," he assured her. Great, I thought grumpily, so everyone has someone to protect them except me.

I trudged into the living room, where the big screen TV was. Rosalie and Emmett snuggled on the love seat and Alice and Jasper snuggled on the one-seater. I sat at one end of the two-seater.

The opening credits started, and I suddenly wished I wasn't watching this. Who would comfort me in the night if I had bad dreams? I felt the other side of the couch sink in with someone's weight. I glanced to the side and saw Edward relaxing.

"Are you watching, too?" I asked. He nodded, not looking away from the screen. The movie was so scary, I screamed way more than once, and by the time the movie was over, my eyes were squeezed shut and I was clenching my fists. Edward on the other hand, was laughing hysterically.

"You found it funny?" I demanded.

"Sorry," he gasped. "But that movie was just so fake!" I glared at him.

"Well, I'm glad you think so." I stood up abruptly. "It's late, I should go."

"Want me to drop you home?" Edward asked.

"OK," I said after seeing everyone else asleep on the other sofas.

"Seriously though," I joked. "I don't know how I'm going to fall asleep tonight. I'm going o keep seeing those horrible faces in my mind."

"You can call me at any time," Edward replied in a light voice.

"Ya right," I teased.

"Really," he said, his voice serious. "I mean it. Friends are supposed to comfort each other, right?"

"Uh-huh," I kept my tone soft. The drive to my house was quiet, but not uncomfortable.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow in school, Bella." Edward said as I opened the car door. I smiled at him.

"Thanks for the ride," I grinned at him.

"Anytime." I closed the door and he drove away. After I changed into my pyjamas, and got into bed, I was aware of how quiet it was. It was eerie. I kept hearing sounds, and I tried to convince myself that I was just making it up, but I couldn't shake off the notion that there was something there. I stumbled out of bed and got the cordless phone. Once I was back in my room, I dialed Edward's cell phone number.

"Hello?" He muttered groggily.

"Oh my god, did I wake you up? I'm so sorry," I apologized.

"Bella?" Is that you? I knew you would call me," he chuckled.

"Ya, well I keep imagining sounds. At least I think I'm imagining it," I shuddered.

"Don't worry," He said. "I'll talk you to sleep." We talked for so long after that. I talked to him about so many things which I had never told anyone else. It was strange. I had told myself that I wouldn't trust anyone again. But I found myself opening up to him. He was very receptive, and didn't laugh even when I told him some embarrassing things.

"OK, Edward, I'll see you-" My eyes closed. I fell into a deep sleep.

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	18. Chapter 17

**Hey guys !!! Sorry I haven't updated in a _REALLY _long time, but here's the next chapter. Also, I'll be updating my other two stories this weekend, so please read those, too. Anyway, I hope you like it !!!**

Chapter 17

BPOV

When I woke up the next morning, I found the phone in my hand. Listening into the receiver, I heard soft snoring.

"Hello?" I asked. The snoring continued. I realized that it was Edward. I must have fallen asleep talking to him, I thought.

"Edward?" I asked again.

"Huh? Bella?" He replied groggily. "Sorry, I guess we both must have fallen asleep."

"It's ok. Thanks for distracting me." I said sincerely.

"You're welcome. Anyway, we should probably get ready for school. I'll see you later, ok?" I could hear the smile in his voice. I smiled automatically.

"Sure," I said. "See ya, Edward."

I put down the phone and got out of bed. I sighed. Another day at school. Things seemed to have moved forward with Edward. I wondered if I would ever be able to trust him. Of course I would, I mused, but I wished I could share every single thought, every single triviality with him. Would my heart be able to take it?

I got ready quickly and drove to school. It was very quiet, I realized. I had been driving to school with someone or the other all these days. Oh well. When I walked into school, I saw flyers stuck to every locker. When I got to my locker, I tore off the flyer and read it. Oh great, the spring dance was coming up in a week. I didn't know who I would be going with, but I felt sorry for whoever it was. I would seriously injure them. Maybe I wouldn't go at all. I could cuddle up at home with a good book, and some soothing music.

"Hey Bella," I smiled when I heard his voice. I turned around and saw Edward, his bronze hair more tousled than usual.

"Hi, Edward." I noticed the dark circles under his eyes. I delicately traced them. "You look tired. Did I keep you up too long?" I asked, worriedly.

"Don't worry about that." He assured me. "I wouldn't have it any other way." He stared into my eyes intensely. I felt mesmerized, and blushed, breaking eye contact.

"So," I changed the topic, "Did you see these flyers about the spring dance? I wonder who I'm going with. That is if I go. I might just ditch it. Besides, if I didn't go, I would save some poor guy from permanent foot damage. And anyway, I can't think of one person who would actually want to take me." I laughed lightly, but stopped when I saw an angry look in Edward's eyes.

"I would go with you," he kept his voice quiet, controlled. His expression was conflicting. He put his hands on my shoulders. "Don't ever doubt that." I slipped out of his grasp.

"I have to go," I said, averting my eyes from his gaze. Why was I doing this? My mind was telling me to do something else and my heart was telling me to do something else. It was too overwhelming, so I turned around and walked right into Rosalie.

"Oh, hey Rose," I greeted.

"Hey Bella. Hey Edward," She sang. I raised my eyebrows at her.

"What's gotten you all bright and happy this morning?" I asked, already knowing what her answer would be.

"Emmett," she sighed. "He told me that he's planning something special for the weekend."

"Wow," I muttered. Who would've thought? "That's nice."

"I know," She said. The rest of the day passed by in a blur. When the last bell rang, I was relieved. Finally, I could go home.

"Hi Bella," I turned my head and saw Tyler walking next to me.

"Hey." I said.

"I was wondering…" He trailed off hesitantly.

"What?" I stopped and examined his expression. It was… nervous?

"Well, do you want to go to the spring dance with me?" His face grew red.

"Oh, um, sorry Tyler, actually I'm not going at all. Thanks for asking, though. See ya later." I said pleasantly. I wanted to laugh, seeing the expression on his face. But I thought it was better not to. I walked a little faster and caught up with Alice and Rosalie, who were just a few feet ahead. Rosalie burst out laughing when I got to them.

"Did you see his expression?" She laughed. Alice started giggling, too.

"Guys, don't be so mean," I chided playfully. But seeing them hold in their laughter was so hilarious, I burst out laughing, too.

"OK, OK, it was funny," I admitted. Alice raised her eyebrows at me. "Fine! It was hilarious!" We all started to laugh again.

"So, Bella," Rosalie said casually, too casually almost. "Who are you going to the spring dance with?"

"I'm not going with anyone. I'll just join you guys. Even if you are going with Emmett and Jasper," I added, laughing softly. It seemed off though. I didn't know if they noticed.

"Well, Esme said that we should go to Port Angeles this weekend and get dresses. So are you guys in?" Alice asked.

"I'm in," I volunteered.

"Me, too." Chimed Rosalie.

"OK, it's settled, then. It's going to be only us girls, the guys aren't coming," Alice added.

"Fine with me," I muttered. Oh great, I sighed internally. Now I was avoiding Edward?

"Then I'll pick you guys up at 10 on Saturday," Rosalie stated. We all agreed and went our different ways.

Saturday….

I fixed my hair quickly as I heard two quick honks outside. Impatient much? I hurried out the door and locked it. Then I ran to the car as fast as I could.

"God, Rose, just be patient!" I hollered over the loud music which was playing. When I got into the car, Rosalie locked all the doors, and turned off the music. I looked at her in confusion.

"We need to talk, Bella," she said seriously.

"Ya," Alice added from the backseat.

"Talk about what?" The suspicion in my voice was evident. "Let's go, guys." I urged.

"Why are you avoiding Edward?" Rosalie asked.

"Don't be silly," I tried to shrug it off, but as usual, both of them saw right through me.

"Oh ya?" Alice asked, her voice rising. "You know, you're right. Every day at lunch, Edward tries to talk to you. You just bury yourself in a book. Of course that's not ignoring. And ya, when Edward asked you to the spring dance, you didn't answer even though we all know how much you want to go with him. Oh ya, that's not avoiding. Seriously Bella, why are you avoiding him?"

"He didn't ask me to the dance." I said uncomfortably.

"What more invitation do you need?" Rosalie demanded. "He said that he would go with you."

"It's just…" I trailed off.

"What?" They asked in unison.

"You guys don't get it. Both of you are so beautiful and you've found your soul mates and all. But how could Edward like someone like me? Someone as plain and boring as me? I don't want to build up my hopes just to have them smashed into pieces." I felt tears fill my eyes.

"Don't ever say that you are plain and boring, Bella." Alice said menacingly. "You need to have more confidence in yourself. And that's what we're going to work on today." Her expression became calculating.

"OK, Alice, whatever you have in mind is not going to work," I tried to discourage her evil plans.

"Just wait and watch, Bella. By the end of this weekend you'll be totally confident about yourself, and then on Monday you can accept Edward's invitation to the dance." She smiled happily. "Come on, Rose, Let's go!" Rosalie turned up the volume of the music again and drove towards the town boundaries, towards Port Angeles. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the seat. There was no way I was betting against Alice. She was usually right.

**OK, so I want everyone to send in reviews this time. I didn't get enough for the last chapter and I want to make it to about.... hmm... 200? k maybe that's asking for too much, but seriously guys, you NEED to review !!!!!!**


	19. Chapter 18

**SORRY sorry sorry. I took a really long time to update. But now my exams are over, so I can update more often! Hooray! Anyway, I'm just so relieved that exams are over. I've been so stressed. I can finally relax. And I've introduced another character in this chapter. You'll be seeing more of him later.**

Chapter 18

BPOV

"Huh? What?" I asked groggily as someone prodded me on the shoulder.

"Wake up, Bella. We're here," Alice announced.

"Did I fall asleep?" I asked, feeling disoriented.

"Yes, you did. But now we're here at the mall, so please wake up. Otherwise we aren't going to be able to buy new clothes and we aren't going to be able to boost your confidence." Alice told me, cheerfully. "Now get out of the car."

"Fine, fine," I muttered. Something told me that I was not going to enjoy whatever Alice was planning. We went into the mall and wandered around aimlessly for a while.

"You know, Alice, you don't have to do this. I'm perfectly fine with the way I am." I broke the silence.

"Well, I don't think it's enough. I mean, you have absolutely no self-confidence in yourself," Alice counted on her fingers, "You don't have the guts to tell Edward that you like him, you don't open up to people. I'm sorry, but I don't think that you think you're perfectly fine with the way you are. So tough luck, you're not fooling anyone but yourself, Bella." I rolled my eyes at her.

"So, Rose," I looked at Rosalie, "You said that Emmett has something special planned for the weekend. Well, it's the weekend. Where's the surprise?" She glared at me.

"Well, he told me to go straight to his house after we got home from shopping. I seriously never would have expected this. I mean he's always so absentminded and then all of a sudden he turns around and does something sweet like this." She smiled. It was easy to see that she loved him despite his goofiness. I smiled automatically, seeing my best friend so happy.

"Well, let's buy new clothes. Since we drove all the way here, it would be a pity if we didn't buy anything." Alice said.

"If you don't mind, I think I'll sit out the first few shops. I'm just going to sit over here and read my book." Alice was about to protest when I added hastily, "I'll come in a little while." She looked only half-satisfied, but Rosalie dragged her by her arm saying something like, "let's go!"

I laughed lightly at my friends, not because they were funny – they were, by the way- but because they were the best friends I could ever have. I settled down on the bench and started to read. I was so caught up in the story that I didn't even notice when some person stood in front of me. They cleared their throat to get my attention.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, startled. I jumped up.

"I was kind of hoping to ask you to move over a bit, you didn't have to give up the whole bench." A friendly-looking guy stood in front of me. "Hi, I'm Evan." I looked blankly at him for a minute. "You're still confused." He noted. I snapped out of my reverie and laughed.

"Sorry, I was just a little caught up in my book when you came here. You kind of scared me," I accused playfully. "I was just going to read for a bit before I joined my friends inside that shop. Who knows what kind of flowing dresses and flowery prints they're going to make me try on. How about you?"

"Actually, I was just waiting for my girlfriend. She was supposed to meet me here 10 minutes ago." He checked his watch. "She's always late. And then when she _does _come, she keeps on apologizing. But she doesn't realize that I would wait for her forever." I smiled.

"Aww, that's so sweet. She's a really lucky girl to be with someone like you." He smiled.

"I like to think so," he feigned arrogance. I laughed.

"Well, I should go, or my friends are going to chain me up and make me try on clothes."  
"Isn't that impossible?" Evan asked, confused.

"Not for them," I smiled. "Hey, why don't we stay in touch? You seem like a nice guy."

"That's what they all say," Evan said. We exchanged phone numbers, and I said bye to him and went into the shop where Alice and Rose were.

"Bella, how do you like this dress?" Alice held up a midnight blue knee-length dress. It was actually decent. I laughed.

"What's the matter?" Alice asked. "Don't you like it?"

"No, it's not that." I said. "For once, you actually picked up something that I wouldn't mind wearing." A smile broke out across her face.

"What are best friends for?" She said, smiling.

"Hey guys, how is this dress?" Rosalie asked from the dressing room. Alice and I walked over and gasped when we saw the dress. It was amazing. It was light blue with spaghetti straps and came down to the knees.

"Emmett's going to go crazy," I giggled.

"This is actually for tonight. I still have to pick something for the spring dance." She said.

"I think I'll wear this blue one for the spring dance," I said. We did a little bit of accessory shopping, and I finally managed to convince Alice that it was time to head back. Rosalie was excited about her evening with Emmett. I don't think I've ever seen her so excited. She practically bouncing in her seat.

"Calm down, Rose, or I'm going to think that you and Alice switched bodies," I joked.

"I can't help it," She smiled hugely. "What would you do if the guy of your dreams did something so hopelessly romantic that you thought it was a dream?" She sighed and leaned back against the seat, eyes closed.

"Can I put on the radio?" I asked. Alice and Rose both agreed. I found our favorite radio station. We all started singing along to random lines, since we didn't know all the words. We neared the town edge, and Rosalie's excitement started to become anxiety.

"What if I totally misinterpreted his motives?" She asked frantically. "I have such high hopes. I'll be shattered if everything doesn't happen like I thought it would."

"Don't worry," I said soothingly. "I'm sure Emmett has exactly what you want planned." We stopped the car in front of the Cullen's house. Alice pondered for a minute.

"Bella, do you mind if I stay over at your house?" She asked me.

"Sure, I don't mind." I replied. Rosalie got out of the car. Alice and I got out, too.

"Well, good luck, Rose," I hugged her. Alice hugged her, too. She gave us a nervous smile and then walked up the front door. I saw her turn the doorknob and walk in. She closed the door behind her.

"Well, I guess it's just us," I mused.

"Yeah," Alice said. We just sat in silence for a while, and then drove over to my house. "So do you think Rose is going to stay over at my place for tonight?"

"I don't know." I simply said. We looked at each other for a minute, and then started laughing.

"Come on, let's go inside," I said, still giggling.

**Please review!!! You know you want to!**


	20. Chapter 19

**Hey guys !! Here's the next chapter !! Hope you enjoy it! Also, don't forget to check out my other stories. You can find them on my profile.**

BPOV

Alice I woke up the next morning groggily. I felt someone whack me with a pillow. I yelped in pain. I heard Alice squeal after a loud thumping sound.

"Come on, you two! Get out of bed this instant!" Rosalie's cheery voice sang.

"Five more minutes, Rose, please," I muttered. Alice and I had been up until 2 last night and both of us were in no mood to be woken up so early. I opened my eyes, but was blinded by the bright sunlight.

"Close the damn curtains, Rosalie!" Alice demanded. She covered her head with her pillow. I rolled over and pulled my comforter over my head.

"You guys are such party poopers," Rosalie whined. "I want to tell you all about last night." That got me up.

"What do you mean 'last night'? When did you get here?" I asked, my voice high-pitched. The blush on Rosalie's face revealed all. "Oh my god, you stayed the night, didn't you?"

"It's not what you're thinking," She said defensively. "I slept in Alice's room. So before you come to the wrong conclusions, I'm clarifying it for you."

"You have to tell us everything!" Alice squealed.

"Well," Rosalie began, the red colour fading from her face. It wasn't very easy to get Rose to blush. "So you guys dropped me off, right? Well when I walked in, the lights were dimmed and there were candles on the coffee table. I walked into the living room where my favourite song was playing softly. Emmett was sitting on the couch and he asked me to sit next to him. We sat there for such a long time, just talking. You wouldn't believe it if I told you that we just talked. I mean, it was so perfect. So after we finished all that talking and stuff, it was pretty late. Emmett told me I could sleep in Alice's room, as long as I didn't mess up anything. Then, this morning, he woke me up at around 8:00. And can you believe it? He made breakfast for me! And that too my favourite, chocolate chip pancakes with maple syrup and cold chocolate milk. And he just dropped me off here about 10 minutes ago. I didn't want to wake you guys up, actually, but I was just so eager to tell you about last night." I rubbed my eyes, still trying to wake myself up.

"That's really great, Rose," I said finally. "I knew Emmett was the guy for you."

"I'm going to take a shower," Alice grumbled. "Jeez, you could've let us sleep." She trudged out of the room, her towel slung on her shoulder.

"Well, it looks like you're really happy Rose. I'm really happy for you." I told her, sincerely.

"Yeah, thanks." She replied. "Anyway, let's go and do something. We have the whole day today before school starts again tomorrow." We walked downstairs, talking the whole way.

The next week passed fairly quickly. Maybe it was because I knew that the spring dance was coming up on Saturday, or maybe it was just because we were so busy with classes and homework. I started studying late nights that weeks, since our finals were just around the corner, a few weeks after the dance. I occasionally looked into my closet and imagined myself in the beautiful blue dress. I was still confused about Edward's feelings towards me, as he sent out mixed signals. Sometimes I got the feeling that he liked me as more than a friend, but sometimes, I felt like we were farther apart than ever. It was too much for my mind to take, so I liked to avoid it by burying myself in my books. Too soon it was Saturday morning. Alice had said that she wanted to do my makeup for me so I told her I would go over to her house that afternoon. She seemed ecstatic that for once, I was letting her do it without a fuss. I think part of the reason I agreed was because I subconsciously wanted Edward to notice me.

So I drove to her house at around 6 o'clock. The dance was starting at 7 o'clock. I parked my car in the Cullens' long driveway. I walked up onto the porch and rang the doorbell. I looked around the porch and remembered how it was here that I first met Edward. The door opened and I found myself standing face to face with Edward.

"Oh, um, hi," I said shifting my weight from foot to foot, uncomfortably.

"Hi," He said, and he put his hands in his pockets. "How come you're here?"

"Oh, well, Alice wanted to do my makeup for the dance tonight, so I agreed. Is she upstairs?" I asked. His expression was undecipherable.

"Why?" He asked finally. "I thought you hate being her canvas."

"Well, you know, why not let her have her fun? Anyway, I guess I'll see you tonight at the dance, then." I edged inside, avoiding contact with him.

"Sure, he said softly, as I walked up the stairs. God, what was wrong with me? So now I couldn't even have a proper conversation with Edward? I reminded myself that he was still one of my best friends. Just because I couldn't sort out my feelings, I couldn't avoid him like this. I knocked on Alice's door once I got upstairs. She opened the door for me and I sat on the bed.

"Alice, I am so messed up," I groaned, closing my eyes. "I can't even have a proper conversation with Edward now? And he's one of my best friends!"

"Well, do you like him as more than a friend?" She asked gently, sitting next to me.

"I…I don't know. I'm so confused about my feelings for him." I confessed.

"Well, right now we don't have time for that. So if you can push your feelings aside for a while, that would be great. I need to get you ready for the dance. That means hair, makeup, nails, and jewellery. Rose is already here. Oh you should see her dress. It's simply outstanding. Hey, Rose! Bella's here." She called into the bathroom. Rosalie stepped out of the bathroom. She was wearing a light pink dress which came just below her knees. Her hair came down in light waves. Her makeup accentuated her perfect features and of course, matched her dress perfectly.

"Wow," I said. "You look amazing, Rose."

"Thanks, Bella, but not as amazing as you're going to look once me and Alice are done with you."

"Umm, thanks, I guess?" I said. "Can you guys make it quick?" About an hour later, Alice and Rose announced that they were finished and told me to look at myself in the mirror. I stared at myself in the mirror. The dress was very pretty on me, and my hair had been lightly curled. I had blue eye shadow lightly dusted onto my eyelid and a very light pink lip gloss. In other words, the make up was applied in such a way that it wasn't obvious, yet it brought out my natural features.

"Wow, you both are the best friends ever!" I exclaimed.

"Yes, we know," Alice feigned arrogance. "Now you go and blow Edward away." I blushed.

"Actually, the guys said that they would meet us there," Rosalie interrupted. "Emmett told me just now. I mean, he just called and told me."

"Ok," said Alice, clearly disappointed that she would see Jasper only at the dance. "Well, since we're all already ready, why don't we head out?" We all agreed that we should just go now, even though we were a little early. So we drove to the school in Alice's car, and made our way into the gym. It was completely transformed from its usual state and now looked like a scene out of some fairy tale. A lot of people were already there, so I guess we weren't early. Light music was playing in the background as people were mostly talking, not dancing. I searched the gym for Edward and saw him standing with Emmett and Jasper and some other guys from our class. We sat around and talked to random people for a while. Soon, some of the seniors started dancing in the middle of the gym and volume of the music increased. I tapped my foot to the beat. Alice and Rose tried to pull me to the dance floor, but I told them it was safer if I sat where I was.

"Hi, Bella," I saw Angela sit next to me.

"Hey, Ang, how are you? It seems like ages since we've talked!" I exclaimed.

"I know," She said. We just sat next to each other silently. It was comfortable. That was how it was with Angela. Even silences were comforting. She was a nice person at heart. I saw Edward walk up to the DJ from the corner of my eye and shout something to him over the loud music. The DJ nodded once. Edward smiled, satisfied. Then he turned and started walking over to me.

"Hey, Bella." He smiled at me. I had to look up at him, since he was standing and I was still sitting down.

"Hi, Edward." I smiled back at him.

"I think I'm going to go and see where Ben is. You guys carry on." Angela stood up. I understood what she was doing. She was subtly giving us privacy. I waved at her. The fast upbeat music stopped all of a sudden.

"And now, a slow song for all you people on the dance floor. Grab a partner and get over here!!" The DJ announced. I looked back up at Edward. Somehow I felt that this was his idea.

Edward held his hand out to me. "May I have this dance?"

**Suspenseful, isn't it? Will Bella dance with Edward? Please review !!**


	21. Chapter 20

**Hey guys !! Here's the next chapter for those of you who were anxiously waiting, lol. Sorry this chapter is shorter than the others, but i wanted to leave at where i did, so it would be more suspenseful. So anyway, please review !!!**

Chapter 20

BPOV

I numbly sat in my seat and stared at Edward. I looked down at my hands for what seemed like eternity, trying to decide what I wanted. My heart was screaming at me to accept his request. Taking a gulp, I placed my shaky hand into his firm, warm one. He pulled me up and led me to the centre of the dance floor, right under the disco ball. Edward placed his hand on my waist and brought me closer to him. I lightly put my hand on his shoulder. I couldn't bear to look at him, not knowing what emotions my face would betray.

It was nerve-wrecking, being this close to him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alice and Rosalie dancing with Jasper and Emmett, and Angela talking to Ben. Once or twice, I saw Rosalie look over at us.

"Have I already told you that you look beautiful tonight?" He said softly.

"You have to thank Alice for that. She's the one who transformed me into this," I gestured at myself. "And to be honest, I would have preferred coming in jeans and a nice top." I laughed nervously.

"So, what do you think of my choice of song?" Edward asked me as we swayed slowly to the beat. To be honest, I hadn't paid any attention to which song was playing.

"I'm actually worried about hurting your feet," I laughed nervously. I was feeling incredible unsteady on these heels that Alice made me wear tonight. Why couldn't I have just defied her and worn flats? It would have made this a whole lot easier. Edward just laughed quietly.

"It's all in the leading," he told me confidently. "And as long as I'm leading, there won't be any problem. You'll be safe with me." I forced myself to look at his face. He was looking down at me, smiling. I had to do it; I had to break the ice between us. It was ripping my heart to be so far from him. I wished that it would be like it was before, with none of this tension.

"Edward, I-" I tried to say, but he placed his finger on my lips, silencing me.

"No, please don't say anything. You'll ruin it."

"But I really need to tell you this." I pleaded. He was silent for a moment, and finally nodded. "OK, this might seem meaningless, but… I'm sorry. I haven't been really talking too much to you recently. It's just, my life seems really messed up right now, and I need to get it together. Is that ok?" I looked at him expectantly.

"It's perfectly alright, Bella. Take as much time as you need." He finally said. I felt a jolt in my stomach, not the one that you get when you're afraid, but that weird feeling you get when you know you life could be perfect; you have the power to do it, but you just trust yourself enough to do it. That was how I felt. I just wished that I had the trust in myself to trust him. I was so afraid of trusting anyone, especially after what Mike did to me. Sure, boys like that could be found anywhere, but the ones that you really wanted to be with were rare. Like Edward. I was close to tears, but knew that Edward would be disturbed if I started to cry. Otherwise Alice and Rose would think that Edward did something to me. Either way, I didn't want to take the chance. The song was coming to an end.

"Bella," Edward whispered. "There's something you need to know. I will always be here for you. If not today, I hope that tomorrow… it will be different. Please remember that and know that I would never, ever let you down." I could feel my eyes stinging with tears. I looked up at Edward with tear-filled eyes, and tried to see a hidden meaning in his words. Edward slowly leaned down towards me, never breaking his gaze. I searched in his eyes and found nothing but truth, nothing but sincerity, and nothing but the pureness that was always in him. We were less than an inch apart when I realised what was about to happen. I took my hand off his shoulder and pulled my other hand out of his.

"I'm sorry, Edward, I…I just can't." I confessed.

"But, I thought… that you…" He trailed off. His face was filled with confusion.

"I _do_ like you. A lot. More than I should. But I just don't think I'm ready for this right now. I'm really sorry Edward; I'm not being fair to you." I could feel the tears in my eyes again, and I tried to blink them away.

"It's ok, Bella." I could see that my words had hurt Edward a lot, and he was trying to keep himself calm. I could see the pain in his eyes. "Like I said, whenever you're ready." He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. I closed my eyes, hoping that when I opened them, I would realise that it was all a dream.

When I opened them, Edward was gone, and I was standing all alone in the middle of the dance floor. The tears start to fall, and all I could think about was getting away from here. I wasn't worried about Alice and Rosalie not being able to find me; I just wanted to be alone. I pulled off the stupid heels that Alice had forced me into and ran out of the gym, not caring where I went. Ultimately, to stay on the safe side, I sat in my car, and cried until I had no more tears to cry. I felt hollow, empty. When my head started to sear with pain, I fumbled around in my purse for some pain-killers, but didn't find any.

I groaned in frustration, and started the car. It was getting late anyway, so heading home would be the best option. I knew that Charlie wouldn't ask me anything; he probably wouldn't even be awake right now. I was almost home; I had just passed the intersection before my street, when all of a sudden, a shiny red convertible, with the hood up screeched to a halt in front of my car. Adrenaline raced through my blood, and my intuition screamed for me to get out of there. I reversed and started to drive in the opposite direction. Checking the rear view mirror, I saw that he was still behind me. My mind was ain a frenzied panic. What was I going to do? I jumped when a phone rang beside me. I didn't have a phone, then whose…? I picked it up with a shaky hand.

"Hello?" I squeaked.

"Ah, Bella, I see you found my little gift." A deep voice said.

"Gift? What do you want from me?" My voice was hysteric, echoing the fear that was coursing through my body. He was silent for a minute. I checked my rear view mirror again. He was gone. Though I shouldn't have, I turned my head to look back. A loud honking sound from in front of me made me spin around to look front. The red convertible was racing towards me, with bright headlights. I screamed and jerked the steering wheel to the left.

The last thing I saw was a tree. And then everything went black.

**Please review !! Check out the other stories that I'm working on, too. You can find the links for them on my profile.**


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